Sleeping Beauty
by BubbleFairy03
Summary: If you got hit in the head with a building, literally, what would you dream of? Wally wakes up to find himself prince of the Kingdom of Flash. Now he must journey across the land on a quest to awaken his true love: the "princess" of the Kingdom of Bats!
1. Once Upon a Time

**If any of my Final Fantasy VII readers are here, please don't hurt me. I swear I'm not switching fandoms. I'm just visiting the YJ community. I'll finish White Mage soon. . .  
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**I planned on using this space to tell you all the inspiration behind this fic, but I forget what it was, so yeah. No dice. We'll just chalk it up to me being a Disney freak.  
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**Disclaimer: One day, DC, one day. . . (I have a plan)**

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><p>Robin hated The Lion King.<p>

He hadn't actually said the words, "I hate The Lion King," but Wally could tell, and it bugged him. It wasn't so much the fact that Rob hated the greatest movie in the history of ever that bugged him (that _was_ a slight part of it though), as it was that he didn't know _why_ Robin hated The Lion King.

Every Friday night, for a little over a month and a half now, the team would sit down together and watch a classic Disney movie. It was Artemis' idea, surprisingly enough. She made the suggestion after her and M'gann caught Mulan one night on the Disney Channel (while channel surfing; Artemis Crock did _not_ seek out the Disney channel, thank you very much) and she realized the young Martian had never watched a single Disney movie before. Not long after this revelation, it came to her attention that Superboy had never seen one, nor Kaldur. Not that surprising, when she thought about it. What _was_ surprising, however, was when Robin confessed he had only watched about two Disney movies in his whole thirteen years of existence.

In a rare occurrence of agreement, Artemis and Wally, who were the Disney experts of the mountain by default, decided all the old Disney movies had some sort of moral merit and watching them all would help their teammates adapt to Earth society. In Robin's case, he had to watch them because they said so. It would be socially unacceptable for him not to.

So far M'gann had loved every movie watched. Superboy, while not as vocally enthusiastic about the cartoons, seemed quietly entranced by each one, and Kaldur thought they were endearing and mildly amusing. He understood why they were popular, in any case.

Robin seemed rather passive about the whole thing. He remained emotionally unfazed during The Fox and the Hound (M'gann cried and Superboy seemed to master a few new facial expressions). Cinderella didn't seem to leave any sort of impression on him, and neither did Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid. So far, the only response Robin had really had was during The Hunchback of Notre Dame, when he turned to Wally and proclaimed, "They made this for _children_!"

And then came The Lion King. Digging through their DVD cabinet (Robin brought every Disney movie known to man from home when he first heard of the plan, which confused Wally to no end, because why would someone waste money buying movies and then not watch them?), Artemis pulled the aforementioned title out and held it over her head.

"Lion King sound good?"

And because Wally was always sort of subconsciously watching his mysterious best friend, he noticed when Robin averted his gaze and shifted his weight uneasily. He caught the slight twitching of his mouth, telling him that Rob's lips were about to part to spew forth some excuse as to why he couldn't join them tonight. So Wally intervened.

"Naaaah, I'm not really big on Lion King. What else we got?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow (it was an obvious lie; _no one_ was "not really big" on the Lion King...except Rob, apparently) but didn't question him. Instead she pulled out another movie and wryly asked, "Sleeping Beauty then?"

Chick flick. Ugh. Oh well, he'd make the sacrifice. At least there was a dragon at the end. And fire. "Sure, that sounds good. Aurora's a babe." He clambered over the back of the couch to take his seat, pretending not to notice the odd look Artemis gave him before putting the movie in. Robin settled into his normal seat next to him, though he seemed a tad closer than normal. Wally briefly wondered if that was the Boy Wonder's way of saying thank you.

He immediately lost interest as soon as the film started, because the whole thing started as a book and books were dull. So he let his mind wander to his best friend.

Robin _was_ his best friend, there was no denying that. But despite how much he _knew_ Robin, he really didn't know anything _about_ Robin. To him, Robin was like an open book (not the dull kind, like Sleeping Beauty). He knew when he was mad, sad, happy, really happy, tired, and so on. He knew that every year on May 9th, July 17th, and October 23rd, he would get depressed. October 23rd more so than the others. He knew he wasn't allowed pets but if he could, he'd like a kitten. His favorite color was green and his favorite food was strawberries. He liked to read and his favorite book was Oliver Twist. He slept on his stomach. He did extra stretches every day to compensate for the fact that he was hurting his back by sleeping on his stomach. He was ambidextrous, but Wally was pretty sure he was born right-handed because when he walked or ran, he always started off with his right foot.

When it came to his behaviors, Kid Flash knew everything there was to know about Robin. But while he knew every little extraneous detail about the boy, he didn't know the basics. _That_ was what bugged him. He knew all this stuff about him, but he didn't know the why behind it all. It was enough to drive anyone nuts.

So sometimes, when he was bored, he tried to make up explanations himself. Hypotheses. Sometimes the things he decided were awesome or hilarious, but sometimes...well, sometimes the things he ended up with weren't always that great.

Wally learned Robin liked kittens when they were younger. Wally had come to hang (err, that is, _patrol)_ with Robin, and he noticed his best friend of several months was down (he could tell because he smiled instead of smirked, and the smile was kind of tight anyway and his shoulders were stiffer than usual and overall he just seemed a lot less bouncy). He let it go at the time, but when the day ended and it came time for them to part for who knew how long, Wally asked about it. To this day, he could still picture the way Rob bowed his head and how his shoulders slumped just a little. Mostly he remembered his voice, how unusually quiet it was as he told Wally he had found a stray kitten in a box the night before, while patrolling. Apparently it was a common occurrence. Robin served as some sort of abandoned kitten detector, accidently stumbling upon the homeless animals like normal people would stumble upon dirt. And dirt was everywhere. But Batman never let him keep any of his rescues. He could leave them out front of a shelter, but there weren't any non-kill shelters in Gotham, so what was the use? The clearest part of the incident to Wally was when Robin, still staring at the sidewalk below them, said, "It kills me, because they're strays and no one wants them and I know what-"

In all of the three years they'd known each other, that was the closest Robin had ever come to telling Wally something deeply personal about himself. Realizing he was about to break a bat-rule, Robin clamped his mouth shut faster than one of Poison Ivy's human-eating Venus Fly Traps. That was the day Wally hypothesized that Robin associated with strays. He wasn't sure why, but he did know the association made his best friend partial to kittens, which was more than most people knew, so he didn't press it. Instead, he squeezed his shoulder and told him that Central had non-kill shelters, so if he wanted to call him next time he found a stray, he would totally run right over and bring whatever little creature he'd found back with him. And that marked the first time Robin had been the one to initiate a brohug between them. Wally kept good on his promise.

Wally hypothesized that May 9th was the day Robin was kidnaped by the government and turned into a elite super soldier. He was partial to green because, while captured, he wasn't allowed outside and he would spend his days trying to remember what grass looked like. When he finally saw it again, it left a big green impression on him.

Robin's love of Oliver Twist had been a more recent discovery, happening within the walls of Mt. Justice. He'd stumbled upon his best friend, curled up on the couch with a book in hand. Wally zipped over and yoinked the book from his hands, ignoring the other's cry of protest.

"Oliver Twist? Like, 'Please sir, can I have some more?' Oliver Twist? Dude, why are you reading this?"

Robin snatched the book back with a frown that was really more of a pout, but Wally wasn't about to point that out. "It's a classic! Besides, it's my favorite book," he made a slight noise of disgruntlement, "You made me lose my page, Kid Illiterate."

While Wally was familiar with Oliver Twist, he wasn't really sure of the actual story line (orphan, wants food, doesn't get it, the end?). So he asked Robin to explain, because anything Robin attached the label "favorite" to got the immediate attention of Kid Flash.

Robin seemed mildly annoyed, but surprisingly enough he complied and gave KF an abridged version of the novel.

When he was done, Robin inquired why Wally was staring at him. Wally didn't tell him he was hypothesizing that his best friend just might possibly be an orphan.

July 17th was (hypothetically) the day the government declared Robin too small to be a good super solider and ordered his death. It also would have been the day Batman saved him from his fate, but the trauma from the rest of the day was enough to overshadow this happy fact and leave Rob depressed for the day.

Wally had seen Robin sleep multiple times, especially since they started pretty much living together at the mountain. It took him a while to realize he was the only one to witness this phenomenon though. Wally and Robin were usually the last to bed, preferring to stay up and play video games or watch movies. Sometimes though, especially after a rough day, Robin's gaming skills would gradually deteriorate until he was slumped against Wally's shoulder, fast asleep. When this happened, Wally would carefully pick him up and carry him to his room. If he was wearing shoes or gloves, he'd remove them, then put him to bed. Sometime during this procedure, Robin usually woke up just enough to weakly attempt to bat him away then mumble incoherently as he rolled onto his stomach and wrapped his arms around his pillow. At this point, Wally would return to the living room to turn off the TV and put away the gaming system.

Eventually, Wally came to realize that if Robin was reeeaaaally tired and desired to go to bed when someone other than Wally was awake, he would actually go to bed instead of just waiting til he passed out on Wally's shoulder. Even then though, Wally didn't fully realize that he was the only one of their group privileged to watch him sleep until Robin got sick.

He was completely bed bound for almost a week. Two of those days he spent pretending (badly) to be healthy while the team tried to force rest upon him. At the start of the third day, Robin slept in unusually late and, after not emerging from his room past twelve, Wally knocked on his door and asked if he was okay. The door opened about an inch which somehow Wally fit through when a hand darted out and wrenched him inside. Robin looked a wreck.

"Dude, you look awful!"

Robin collapsed stomach-down on his bed and hugged his pillow, burying his masked face in it and desperately trying to maneuver his covers over his body using only his feet. Wally came forward to help.

"Thanks KF, you're looking. . . gusting today too," he muffled into his pillow, "I'm sick."

"Well duh. I told you that like, a billion days ago."

Robin turned his head and gave him a pitiful look. "Could you bring me some medicine?" He cleared his throat. "And water?"

"Yeah man, sure thing. Miss M will probably want to bring you some soup or something too. We'll see how that goes!" He laughed and stood to leave, but was halted by Robin gripping his wrist. He looked down.

"Hmm? Something else you need?"

"Don't. . . let M'gann in. Don't let any of them in."

Wally raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Artemis can catch it, but the rest of us are probably safe. You know. . ." He made some vague gestures with his free hand that only Robin could have possibly understood to mean "meta."

Robin focused his gaze on Wally's captured wrist and quietly responded, "I just. . . don't want them to see me. . . like this, you know?"

Vulnerable, he meant. In that instance, Wally realized in a sudden epiphany that Robin trusted him with his vulnerabilities. Wally could see him when he slept, defenseless to attackers. Wally could see when he was sick and weak. The others couldn't. He decided not to voice his enlightenment.

"Sure dude, no problem. I'll go get you that medicine. Call if you need me?"

Robin relinquished his wrist with a small smile. "Like I'd need you."

Wally hypothesized that maybe he did, and not just for when he had the flu.

Wally hypothesized that October 23rd was the day Batman forced Robin into his first pair of bright green short-pants. Because obviously, that event was the most worthy of depression.

More than understand all that though, Wally wanted to see his best friend's eyes. He couldn't very well hypothesize _eyes_. The color maybe, but there was a lot more to eyes than that. He wasn't artistic enough to even begin to imagine.

So he stuck to the stuff he could guess. He already had a thousand hypotheses regarding the behaviors of his best friend and now he had to come up with a new one. Lion King huh? It was a harmless enough movie, so what could the problem be?

In front of him, Prince Phillip was walking as if in a trance toward the sleeping Aurora; Beside him, Robin's wrist was glowing blue. He pushed a button and suddenly Batman's face was before them. It crossed Wally's mind how odd it was, watching the Prince kiss Sleeping Beauty awake through the semi-transparent face of Batman.

"Young Justice, I have your next mission."

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><p>The mission was a snore.<p>

It was a covert operation with the sole purpose of acquiring secret intel, which meant they would be running around all sneaky-like and watching the baddies without confronting them.

Booooor-iiiiing.

The mission began simply (boringly) enough. Little mysterious trucks maned by mysterious men drove mysteriously through the city carrying mysterious cargo. Same old same old.

What was weird was that Supey had a headache. Did the Super family _get_ headaches? KF was pretty certain Supes never did, but he refrained from mentioning that to Superboy. No need to trigger another "I'm-nothing-like-Superman-and-that-makes-me-so-sad-RAWR" episode.

The trucks led them to an mysterious abandoned warehouse (like always, boringboringboring), which they snuck into without a hitch. The team split up to cover more ground and see more of the not-so-action-packed action. Artemis and Aqualad went here and Superboy and Miss Martian went there, which left Kid Flash and Robin to man the area between here and there, which turned out to be behind some crates. Mysterious crates.

Then the vandals came.

A group of five, two girls and three boys, all in their teens. They might have been eerily representative of their own group, if they weren't such brats.

They came giggling into the warehouse, cans of spray paint in hand, and were apprehended by the goons before they could understand what was happening. The girls screamed and the boys yelled and cursed. Aqualad hesitated a mere second before mentally declaring they were to abort the mission and rescue the civilians. It was the order they were all hoping for and they immediately leapt into action.

After that, everything happened kind of suddenly. Miss M went to work rescuing the teens with Aqualad backing her up. The others were to serve as a distraction, which went well until Superboy suddenly flopped to the ground like a dead fish. Miss M was the first to notice.

"_Superboy! What's wrong with him!"_

Robin was the one to answer, _"Kryptonite. They must be transporting Kryptonite. That's why he had a headache. . . we have to get him out of here, he's completely vulnerable!"_

"_What-o-nite?"_ Artemis asked, doing her best to protect Superboy's now defenseless body.

"_Robin can explain later. Miss Martian, get the hostages out of the building! Artemis, back her up! Robin, Kid Flash, don't stop fighting, distract as many as you can, I'll get Superboy!"_

It crossed Kid Flash's mind that it was a little less than "turbing" that he and Robin were the only ones of their team, probably including Superboy himself, that knew of the clone's "allergy." Kryptonite probably should have been one of things they discussed over dinner or something.

Miss Martian complied to the order uneasily and flew the terrified vandals out of the building. Artemis wasn't far behind, shooting arrows at anyone who got too close to the main exit. A few goons were escaping out of other exits, but Rob and he could only stop so many by themselves. He zipped behind two baddies and knocked their heads together, garnering himself a view of Aqualad, Supey thrown over his shoulder, battling his way toward the exit. Artemis was doing her best to make a clear path for him.

"KF!"

No one could synchronize their movements with Robin like Batman, but Kid Flash liked to believe he was the second best at it. He wasn't great at understanding what was going on when Rob just disappeared laughing, but when the smaller boy was running full speed toward him he knew just what to do.

Robin had a lot of abilities, but KF believed the core of his strength lay in his legs. This belief stemmed from the fact that Robin kicked people. A lot. It was with that thought in mind that KF decided to grasp Robin's arms rather than his feet when the boy lunged at him. He could do more damage with his feet free.

Gripping his arms tightly, KF made a quick succession of spins, letting Robin knock out anyone in their path.

"_Ready dude?"_

"_If I get any more ready than I am now, I'll throw up."_

Kid Flash laughed as he let go, sending his best friend sailing through the air. Robin threw a total of seven birdarangs while airborne, did a somersault, kicked a man in the chest, then landed perfectly on top of said man. He stepped on the dazed goon's face as he quickly sprinted away, pulling out his escrima sticks and knocking two men off their feet.

Focusing on the men around him, Kid Flash propelled himself forward, serving as a sort of human cannonball as he plowed them down.

"Haha, striiiike!" He dashed out of the way as a burly man took a swing at him and, grabbing his ankles, pulled the larger man down.

"Stop the clone, you idiots! The boss will want him, he's just as bad!"

He glanced up at the order, seeking the speaker. Before he found him, another voice issued forth.

"It's too late, kill him! Kill him!"

He saw the person shouting this time and, gritting his teeth, sped over.

"Hey pal, why don't you worry less about Supey and a little more about me?" The man swung at him and he dodged with a grin, running behind him. He kicked the back of the man's kneecaps, sending him to the ground, then planted a foot on his back.

"You seem like a pretty important dude, telling people to kill my friend. Wanna tell me who you're working for and what your beef with Superboy is?"

He wasn't really expecting an answer, but he didn't really need one either. Mass transportation of Kryptonite kind of screamed "Lex Luthor."

He also didn't expect the man to grin and reveal a thin, black, cylinder-shaped object in his hand, but that's what happened.

"Think you can run fast enough, Flash Boy?"

He didn't have time to correct him as the man pushed the button, giving him a little less than a second to respond.

"_Bomb!"_

He used the time he had to speed across the room and tackle Robin to the ground. The last thing he heard before the deafening boom resounded through the area was Robin's slight "oof" as he hit the ground. The world around him was filled with a blinding light tinged slightly green, and he could just make out Robin's face below him in time to throw his arms protectively over it before pain exploded in his skull and the world turned black. . .

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><p><strong>Please, dear readers, point out any and all grammaticalspelling/whatever errors! (I won't get mad, I promise!)**

**So yay, here we have my first YJ fic. Hope y'all enjoy. Reviews make me wibble inside (even if they're just like, an emoticon or something).**

**Next chapter starts the good stuff! =D**


	2. Rapunzel

**Today, my bff and I, me in my Batman tanktop and her in her Superman tee, went hiking in the woods, saw the new Pirates movie, did a little shopping, then had dinner at Red Robin (does anyone else always think of Tim?). The cashier at Dick's Sporting Goods thought we were adorable and the manager of Red Robin passed our table and went, "Woah, Batman and Superman eating dinner together! Nice!" then proceeded to gush to us about how cool we were.  
>Now if only a guy in a Superboy T-shirt would come to <em>my<em> place of employment so I could gush over _his_ shirt. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own. (The lack of an apocalypse last week interrupted my plans. . .waiting for the next end of the world scenario. My day will come DC. My day will come. . .)**

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><p>Wally woke up feeling decidedly less than asterous. (Asterous? Was that even a word? Ugh, his head! He couldn't think about this right now. . .)<p>

He sat up with a groan, letting the silk sheets he was lying under glide down his body and pool in his lap as he held his sore head.

"Man, what did I _do_ last night? I feel like crap. . ."

He slowly left the comfort of his king-sized bed and made his way to his gold-lined closet. The closet extended back about the length of a football field, but Wally found an outfit within the first few feet: Red tights and a long gold tunic trimmed in white with billowing sleeves and a large red lightening bold embroidered on the front. He cinched the tunic with a red belt and pulled on a pair of golden boots, followed by a pair of red gauntlets that were hanging off the closet door. It was a casual outfit, but it would do. Before leaving, he took a gold crown from the dresser by his bed and placed it on his head.

He traveled down an expansive hallway, paying little mind to the many portraits of himself that hung from the walls, and reached his destination: the grand hall, where the king was waiting for him.

"Wally! About time you woke up! The decennary newspaper came today!"

Wally took in the appearance of his Uncle, Barry Allen, ruler of the Kingdom of Flash. The man was wearing red satin shoes paired with gold tights and a red tunic. The tunic had puffy sleeves and each poof, striped with red and gold lightening bolts, was easily the size of the man's head. He had a thick gold belt on as well as dashing gold gloves. Atop his golden locks sat an impressive gold crown, much more heavily ornamented than Wally's.

Wally sat down at the long table. "Decennary newspaper?"

King Barry nodded. "Yup! You were only five when the last one came out, so you probably don't remember. Every ten years a newspaper is delivered to every prominent household on the continent, so everyone can keep up on the events of the world."

Wally raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be better if it was every year? Or even every month?" He almost suggested every day but stopped himself. Getting a newspaper every day would be silly, there wasn't _that much_ news in the world.

His question was met with a rolling of the eyes. "Have some respect for the writers of this thing Wally. Each newspaper is written by hand, and all these pictures are done individually by oil painters. They would never have the time to make as many copies as they do now every year!"

He nodded, that made sense. Still, shame there wasn't some sort of. . . device or something that could make a perfect copy of something in mass. He almost laughed aloud. What a deranged, futuristic thought! "Does it have anything good in it?" He reached across the table and grabbed a croissant.

His Uncle grinned and spread the paper down on the table. "Tons. But there was one article in particular I was looking at, with you in mind."

"Mmph?" he questioned around his pastry.

King Barry's jovial expression melted into a more serious one. Wally was about to get "spoken to." He refrained from groaning aloud.

"Wally, your Aunt and I have been talking and. . .we think it's time you found a princess to settle down with. With no sons, you're the sole heir to my kingdom. I'm. . . getting old Wally. I'll be 34 next month. I'm not sure how much longer I have left. Your Aunt and I want you to be settled down before you inherit my throne."

Wally glanced down at the table, expression solemn. His Uncle was so cheery, it was easy to forget how old he was. Most men only lived to be about 42, and that was if they were healthy. Uncle Barry ate an awful lot (not that he could talk), and he couldn't think of a single time in which the man had his blood drained by leeches. That couldn't have been healthy.

Barry continued, "There's an article in here about a princess trapped in a tower surrounded by a forest of thorns," he pointed at a spot on the paper and Wally stood to glance over his shoulder. "It says she's been cursed with eternal slumber and the only cure is true love's kiss. Whoever wakes her is promised her hand in marriage." He looked over his shoulder at his nephew. "It would do you good to prove yourself to the people before becoming king. Show them you have what it takes to rule the Kingdom of Flash. What do you say Wally? Think you can handle a quest?"

Wally was beaming. A dangerous quest to save a beautiful princess? You couldn't get any better than that! "Definitely! Oh man, this is soooo awesome! I bet she's such a babe! Where's the tower!"

Barry skimmed the article, "Hmm, the Kingdom of Bats? That sounds kind of familiar. . ." he shrugged dismissively, "Anyway, it says it's North of the Super Kingdom, which I'm pretty sure is West of here. Other than that I guess you'll have to find it yourself. . ."

Wally didn't care, he was too excited. "Yeah, that's cool. Traveling unknown areas is part of the quest, right? At least I know to go West. . . Well, guess I'd better get going."

King Barry looked startled. "So soon?"

"Yeah! I have to get a jump on this Uncle Barry, or else some other prince will come along and snatch her up!"

"Wally, it doesn't really matter who gets there first. She'll only wake up if her true love kisses her. In fact, you might get there and-

"Tell Aunt Iris I love her! I won't be gone too long!"

"Wally! Wally wait, you should at least. . ." he sighed heavily and rested his chin on his palm, "Kids. . ."

Wally traveled for about three hours before he started regretting not bringing anything with him. He'd grabbed his sword on the way out and it was now safely harnessed to his back, and he had his money pouch tied to his belt, but other than that, he hadn't taken a thing with him. He was currently lost in the middle of the woods (which was stupid because he was pretty sure he was still in the Kingdom of Flash and the Prince of Flash should _never_ get lost in his own kingdom) and, more importantly, he was hungry. Stupid croissant. Thing was practically made of air.

He held his grumbling stomach as he trudged through the woods, batting away the never ending assault of twigs on his face. While fighting with a particularly large twig (it almost constituted as a full branch), Wally tripped over a rock and fell into a bush. A bush full of twigs. He refrained from cursing.

While attempting to distract himself from the leafy nuisance, Wally heard a noise that sounded suspiciously like angry murmuring. The murmurs turned into full blown complaints and Wally ducked down inside the bush, undoing any process he'd made at freeing himself.

"Stupid Ollie and his stupid...girl...I didn't even want her...I work best alone!" A sigh, accompanied by a red head in a beaten red tunic and an old yellow hat, came from behind a group of trees and walked passed Wally's hiding spot. He had a bow and quiver on his back, both of which looked valuable, but other than that the man gave off a decided air of poverty. Wally tried to crouch down deeper. He'd heard rumors that sometimes poor people who couldn't afford food _ate_ other people. Princes especially.

"So annoying...she's lucky I put her in that tower...I could have killed her..." The man paused then turned around and shouted, "I could have killed you!" He turned again and angrily kicked the rock Wally had tripped on. "All the crap I do...brat's not even grateful...why couldn't he give me a dog..." He paused again to shout, this time to the treetops, "You could have given me a dog, Oliver! Or a hawk! Or even a mouse! Anything!" And then he stomped away into the forest, his grumbling about stupid, ungrateful girls fading away. Wally carefully stood up, glancing around to see if the potential-cannibal he'd just witnessed was really gone. Seeing no trace of him, Wally fought his way free of the bush as quietly as he could.

He pondered over what he just heard. The potential-psychopath had said something about a tower. . and a girl. His heart leapt. His princess! He'd found her already! A large grin found it's way to his face as he sprinted through the forest toward the direction the potential-drug addict had yelled. After only a short while he came to a clearing and he slowed to a halt.

Looming before him was a tall, stone tower with a single window at the very top. It was shorter than the tallest tower in Uncle Barry's castle (then again, they had one random, usually tall tower, made for the sole purpose of allowing the king to run up and down the stairs when he was bored), but it was still somewhat impressive. Scaling it would probably prove challenging.

But he was willing to take on any challenge in the name of love! Wally found a handrest on a stone and, searching til he found the next one, began his trek up. He was about a quarter of the way up when he found himself confronted with a dastardly section of smoothness. Stupid tower-builders and their good craftsmanship.

He swore loudly and began searching for a stone that would allow him to go left or right until he found another handhold that would permit him to continue his journey up. A head poked out of the window above him.

"What are you doing? Do you need help?"

Wally almost fell off the tower. "What the hell! Give a guy a little warning would ya! I could have died!" For tower's of this height, a quarter of the way was still quite a ways. Definitely "die if you fall" distance from the ground.

He looked up to see a young girl with blonde hair staring down at him. She didn't look impressed.

"Who are you?" he asked. She couldn't be his princess. His princess was asleep.

She scowled. Yup, deeeeefinitely not _his_ princess. His princess would have a nice smile. . . after she woke up, that is. "I should be asking you the same thing. You're the one trying to break into _my_ tower, after all."

Ah-hah! This must have been the evil witch, guarding the tower! The article didn't mention that! He cleared his throat. "My name is Prince Wally, of the Kingdom of Flash! I'm here to rescue the princess!"

The girl (witch) raised an eyebrow. "Is that so," she drawled, "Well, in any case, come on up before you fall off and die." She disappeared from the window and Wally frowned. Come on up. Like it was that easy! Stupid witch. . .

His brooding was interrupted when a cascade of silken blonde hair came barreling down the side of the tower, nearly knocking him off. He yelled out in surprise.

The girl (witch) appeared again. "Go ahead and climb that."

"Is this _hair_!" Eww, that was weeeeiiiird.

She scowled again, "Yes it's hair, and it's much nicer than yours so stop being a baby. Either climb up or go away, firecrotch."

"Fire. . . why I outta. . .you just wait til I get up there missy! I'll show you!" He grabbed the mane of hair quickly, before she decided to pull it back up on him, and started his ascent. His progress was much quicker this time.

He got to the window and the girl (witch) grabbed under his arms and helped haul him into the room. Wally watched as she sat down on a small bed and began coiling her hair. It took a while, but finally she had it all back through the window. While she was doing that, Wally allowed himself to look around. The room was a decent size, he supposed. Smaller than his room at the castle, no question, but his room was the size of small marketplace, so that really wasn't surprising. There were tall, precariously stacked towers of books littering the room as well as a few other odds and ends lying about. Some papers here, some fabric there. A yoga ball.

"Where's the princess?" he asked, glancing around. He hoped she wasn't buried in the mess. It seemed possible.

"You're looking at her, Prince Dimwit."

She stood up and Wally finally allowed himself to take in her appearance. Aside from her long blonde locks, she had tan skin and blue eyes. She had on a dark green corset dress over a lighter green short-sleeve top. She was wearing dark green combat boots (they kinda contrasted with the whole "princess" look but Wally supposed they were practical) that were only visible because the length of her dress had been hiked up and tied in a large knot to the side, presumably to allow her more ease of movement. Or to show off her legs. Either way, she was awake, which wasn't really what Wally was expecting.

"The princess is supposed to be asleep. . ."

The "princess" (wiiiiitch, she _had_ to be a witch!) raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be asleep? It's the middle of the day. . ."

"Be-because! You're suppose to be in an enchanted slumber! Did–"

Oh no. He really _was_ too late!

"Did another prince already kissed you!"

Her cheeks turned a light pink and her scowl deepened. "Hate to break it to you Prince Clueless, but you're in the wrong tower. I wake and sleep as I please and, aside from me and you, the only person to ever come up here is a rude archer." She paused. "And he _most certainly_ has never kissed me, nor will he ever."

Wally sat down on the windowsill with a frown. "What tower is this then? And who are you?"

"I'm Princess Artemis, niece of King Oliver, ruler of the Arrow Kingdom."

The Arrow Kingdom. . . he'd heard of that. It was a small kingdom that lay just on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Flash. He hadn't traveled far, but at least he was out of the kingdom. He felt better about getting lost, in any case.

"Oh. Sorry. I'm looking for the Princess of Bats. . ."

Artemis' eyebrows furrowed. "Of the Kingdom of Bats? I've heard of that. . ." She got down on her hands and knees and started riffling through the mess on her floor. Finally she grabbed a paper with a small exclamation and spread it out in front of him. It was a map.

"I knew it! The Kingdom of Bats, right here!"

Wally grinned brightly and, joining her on the floor, poured over the map. He found the Kingdom of Flash easily enough, it was a big kingdom, and next he found the smaller Arrow Kingdom. He glanced at Artemis' finger. It was pretty far from the Arrow Kingdom but. . . well, he could handle that. It was for his princess, after all.

He smiled gratefully at her. Maybe she really wasn't a witch. "Hey thanks. I really appreciate your help." He moved to take the map and she yanked it away.

"You can't have it! It's my map!"

Witch! "But you live in a tower! Why do you need it!"

"In case I ever escape, moron!"

He paused, hesitating. "You mean you're stuck?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well yeah, who would willingly choose to live in a tower their whole life? I can't very well climb my own hair down and the tower is too smooth to climb. . ." Her shoulders slumped and she held the map a little closer.

Frowning, Wally crossed his legs and leaned forward, trying to catch her eye despite her bowed head. He got a glare for his efforts. "Have you really been here your whole life?"

She shrugged. "Almost."

He waited for her to continue but when she didn't, he prodded further, "Becaaaause. . .?"

She sighed heavily, as if telling the story was a burden. "My Uncle, King Oliver, is an expert archer. He always thought he was the best in the land until. . ."

"Until?"

"He was given a magic mirror, as a gift from the Lantern Kingdom. The mirror would answer any question asked and, instead of asking something useful, my vain Uncle asked who the greatest archer of them all was, expecting to hear his own name.

"He was disappointed. The mirror told him the greatest archer alive was a young boy, only a few years older than I was, who went by the name Roy Harper. Uncle Ollie was furious and he searched the land for months until he found him. He discovered that Roy made his own arrows by hand and he convinced himself that his excellent craftsmanship was the reason behind his skill. So one night, he snuck into the boy's home and stole all of his arrows. My Uncle was a fool though," her grip on the map tightened and Wally watched uneasily, afraid she would rip it, "He allowed himself to be seen, not just by one person, but by multiple people in the village! Everyone knew the King had stolen the arrows and it was only a matter of time before they rebelled. They stopped paying taxes. The King's men were attacked if they entered the village. The crime seemed small, but Uncle Ollie broke their trust. . ."

"So what did he do?"

"_He_ didn't do a thing. Roy was the one to eventually confront him, demanding payment for his arrows. My Uncle told him he would give him something more valuable in exchange. Roy was probably expecting money. Instead, he got me."

"He gave him his _niece_!" Wally tried to imagine Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris handing him away to a stranger for keeps. It was an upsetting thought.

Artemis nodded solemnly. "I was seven at the time, Roy was ten. He was nice at first, though I don't think he was ever happy with the arrangement. But he shared his home with me, kept me fed and clothed, and tried his best to teach me his trade. He was kind of awkward, but sweet," she smiled lightly and Wally couldn't help but think it looked a bit sad, "I wasn't good enough though. . . I made mistakes. He would get aggravated with me and in turn, I would get angry at him. Soon we were fighting almost every day. So he locked me in this tower."

"So, let me get this straight. You're trapped in this tower. . . because you're annoying? More or less?"

She threw her hair at him, knocking him over. "Thanks for being understanding, jerk."

Wally sat back up and threw her hair off him. "Wait so then, the potential-rapist. . . that must have been Roy!"

An eyebrow went up. "Rapist?"

"Potential." He tapped his bottom lip a few times. Artemis didn't seem like the nicest traveling companion (she scowled a lot), but she had a map. Besides, he did feel bad for her. He would probably be a little rude too if he was forced to spend most of his life locked alone in a tower. "What do you say about striking a deal with me, missy?"

She eyed him warily. "What kind of deal?"

"I'll climb your hair down, then I can catch you!" he flexed, "I'm a pretty strong guy, so no worries!"

"You want me to jump out the window!"

"I'll _catch_ you! Geez. Anyway, I'll help you get out of here and in return, you can help me find the Kingdom of Bats. You should probably get as far away from the Arrow Kingdom as you can anyway, so it all works out!"

She cast her gaze down and started idly playing with her hair. "I don't know. . ."

"Oh, come on! What's the problem?"

"I've never. . . I mean, it's been years. . . since I've been out of this tower. What if I don't. . ."

Wally smiled and took her hand, pulling it away from her hair. "You'll be fine. Besides, you'll have me with you. That's better than going it alone, right?"

She met his eyes and seemed to recognize the sincerity there. She nodded with a smirk. "Right. I can't let a little thing like the unknown scare me. I'm all for this! Let's go find you princess, Wally!"

Wally jumped up with a large grin, pulling her with him. He grabbed the pile of hair gathered on the floor and tossed it out the window with a shout of, "Tally-ho!" Gripping her hair firmly, Wally scrambled out the window and made his way to the ground. Once he was firmly on his feet he looked up and held his arms out. "Come on!"

She stood on the windowsill and stared down. It was an awfully long way to fall. "You swear you'll catch me!"

"I swear!"

"Alright, but if you try _anything_ Prince Nimrod, I'll castrate you! Even if I have to come back from the dead to do it!"

"Just jump!"

Map clenched firmly in her hand, she cast one last look at the room she was leaving behind. Then, with a deep breath, she jumped.

* * *

><p><strong>Potential drug-addict. Bahaha, see what I did there? shot/**  
><strong>So here we have Rapunzel with a little bit of Snow White mixed in for kicks. The thing I like best about Artemis is her hair. So long and pretty. =)<br>Reviews are to me what cookies are to the Cookie Monster. No reviews is to me what grapefruit is to the Cookie Monster (We all _know_ he doesn't actually like them, Sesame St., stop trying to deceive us. . .) **


	3. Princess and the Frog

**My bff (remember her from last chapter? lol) and I discovered a comic book shop today. I bought Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn, my very first Batman graphic novel. I haven't read it yet (we came home and watched X-Men United and Last Stand, then I worked aaaalllll day), but I'm very excited about it.**  
><strong>I looked for Young Justice but they didn't have it. =( They did have Young Avengers, which I was tempted to buy simply because of Billy and Teddy, but in the end I decided against it. Parting with my money for Batman was hard enough. I'm poor, lol.<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: Not mine. (Crazy rapture guy says he got the date wrong. Apparently the rapture is in October or something now. Apocalypse is part 1 of the plan. Me marrying Tom Welling and my bff marrying Michael Rosenbaum is part 2 of the plan. If the apocalypse doesn't happen, we have a plan B to fall back on, which involves Michael falling off a boat. And a bellybutton examination. That's right DC. I've <em>thought<em> about this!)**

* * *

><p>Wally was hot.<p>

And not in the "oh my, he's so sexy" way either (well, he was, but that wasn't the point).

"It's. so. HOT!" He groaned loudly, wiping the sweat from his brow, "Come on missy, let's take a break. . ."

"We took a break like, fifteen minutes ago! At this rate, your princess will die of old age before we get there!"

"Hardiharhar, you're hilarious. I'll have you know as the Prince of Flash, I'm one of the quickest-Oh my god, a lake! Race you!" And he was off.

"Wally!" She followed slowly after him with a huff, settling down on a stump under a shady tree while he began stripping.

"You coming in Arty? A cool swim will do us good!" Finally stripped to just his boxers (golden boxers), he took a running leap into the lake.

"No, I'm not," she snipped heatedly.

Not long after they started traveling together, Wally learned that Artemis carried a medium sized dagger in one of her boots. She explained that the dagger served as protection (young girl living alone in the woods and all that) as well as a hair trimmer, which was why she was pulling it out now. Artemis' hair grew _a lot_. Back in the tower, she said she used to cut it everyday and use it as fodder for her fireplace. Wally thought that was kind of nasty and weird (didn't burnt hair _smell_?) but didn't say anything. She still cut it everyday, not for kindle (thank goodness. . .) but to keep it from getting in the way. She didn't cut it the day they escaped and it got so long that it trailed a good 7 yards behind her. Wally pointed out that if it got any longer, Roy would be able to just follow it to them. He also pointed out that it was on the ground, so it was probably full of twigs and dirt and bugs and small children and all sorts of stuff like that. She snapped at him for complaining but whipped the dagger out of her boot nonetheless and hacked her hair off so it was level with her ears. Wally was only a tad surprised to wake up the next morning after a short rest and find it almost to her feet. Stupid, freaky, super hair. . .

That was several weeks ago and she was now back in the habit of cutting it everyday. Wally imagined that, if they were being tailed, the person could easily find them by following the hair piles. They were like a freaking breadcrumb trail.

Wally emerged from the water with a gasp and doggy paddled to the water's edge. "Come on missy, jump in! You do know how to swim, right?" It was an honest question. She _had_ spent eight years of her life in a swimming-pool free tower.

"Yes I know how to swim. I'm just a little aggravated that _I_ seem to be the one most worried about saving _your_ princess." She threw the last lock of her hair to the ground and fixed him with a harsh look. Wally emerged from the lake with a scowl.

"What's that supposed to mean? I've been on this quest for weeks! Finding the princess is the most important thing in the world to me!" He stomped past her and began redressing, keeping his back to her. Stupid Artemis. She _always_ ruined his mood.

"_We've_ been traveling for weeks Prince Helpless! You'd still be stuck back at the Kingdom of Marvel if it wasn't for me!" They had trouble with some crazy Captain guy in the Kingdom of Marvel. Wally didn't like talking about it.

She stood up and walked over to him, gripping his shoulder and forcing him to face her. She ignored his sneer as she continued, "And if finding the princess is so important to you," she emphasized "you" with a poke to his chest, "then why are you wasting precious time doggy paddling around a stupid lake!"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I think it's important to rinse off every now and then. That way I won't smell like a dead animal, like you do!"

"Oh, _that_ was mature. Think of that all on your own?" She took a step closer, glaring up into his face.

"What is your problem!"

Traveling with Artemis was great and all (she had the map, which could kind of be considered cool, he supposed), but it was also fairly stressful. The first few days went along more or less okay, with only occasional teasing. Then the teasing turned into bickering. Then the bickering turned into fighting, which they were now doing usually at least once a day.

"My problem is your problem, so get your butt in gear and solve it!"

Wally yelled in frustration, resisting the urge to pull his hair. "You're so. . . you're so. . . ugh! I can't take this! Come here!"

Artemis let out a shriek (that she would later deny) when Wally grabbed her waist and hauled her over his shoulder. "What are you doing! Wally, put me down!"

Wally grinned and jogged to the lakeside. "Not until you have a little cool down, missy! Hope you can swim!"

"Wally. Wally, don't you dare," she started struggling more violently, "Wally, I'm warning you!"

"Watch out fish, bombs away!" And then he threw her.

Artemis was rather proud that she didn't yell when he threw her, but her fearless attitude didn't stop her from hitting the water with a large splash. Wally jumped away, trying to minimize the water that hit him, then burst into laughter as he fell to the ground next to his boots and sword.

Artemis emerged from the lake with a gasp, her whole face flushed in anger. "You. . . I can't believe you. . ." If Wally looked closely, he would have noticed her shoulders shaking in rage, "My clothes. . ." But Wally wasn't looking closely, as he found something else to be preoccupied with.

He bit back a laugh as he pointed to her. "Art, you're head. . ." He snorted.

Her rage dimmed a little with confusion. "My head. . ." She reached up and felt something sort of. . . slimy. Cupping it in her hands she lifted it off her head and brought it in front of her. It was a frog.

"Hello, pleasure to meet you. My name is-

She screamed and threw it at Wally who nearly missed catching it. "Hey now, don't hurt the little guy!"

"It spoke! It's a frog and it-it spoke!" She waded out of the water but didn't seem keen on getting too close.

Wally held the dazed frog up to his face. "Hey there, little guy. You okay? Sorry Arty over there threw you; she's afraid of talking frogs."

"I am NOT afraid of talking frogs!"

"My bad. She's afraid of frogs in general." Wally stroked the top of the frog's head with his finger. It was probably a nice frog. . .

"I am not!" Still, she didn't come any closer. Wally hoped the frog wouldn't be offended.

The frog shook it's head lightly (Wally almost cooed; Frogs were so cute), coming to.

"Hey there Mr. Frog. You okay?"

Mr. Frog cleared his throat. "Yes, I am fine, thank you." He hopped around in Wally's hand (so cute!) so he was facing Artemis and bowed his little head. "My apologies Miss. I did not mean to frighten you."

Artemis, maintaining her distance, didn't say anything, choosing instead to just nod her head. Mr. Frog hopped back around to regard Wally. While his back was turned, Artemis took the opportunity to grab her dagger off the stump and held it tightly in front of her.

"My name is Kaldur'ahm, though you may call me Kaldur. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He held up a little webbed frog foot and Wally gently took it between his thumb and forefinger and shook it.

"Nice to meet cha, Kaldur. I'm Prince Wally, of the Kingdom of Flash, and that's Princess Artemis of the Arrow Kingdom. We're on a quest to save the Princess of Bats."

Kaldur hopped to regard Artemis again. "A princess! Your highness, may I beg a favor of you?"

Artemis looked uneasy. "Uhhh. . ."

"If it's not too much trouble, could you please," he hopped off Wally's hand toward her and she screamed, cutting off whatever he was about to say. She ran a large half circle around him until she was safely crouched behind Wally.

She had his tunic clutched in her hands and Wally futilely tried to pull away. "Artemis, what gives? You're being rude to Mr. . . I mean Kaldur." The dagger was also still in her hand, which was clutching his shirt, which was one his body, which was a little unnerving. To say the least.

She gripped his tunic tighter. "I don't like frogs, all right!" Her gaze met Kaldur's. "I'm sorry, I just. . . it's nothing personal. . ."

"You're afraid of _frogs_? Come on missy, they're like, the best animals ever!" Frogs were awesome!

Kaldur hopped closer and she ducked down further behind Wally. "It's quite all right my princess. You see, I'm not really a frog! There is no reason for you to be afraid!"

Wally and Artemis shared a look. "Well, you sure do _look_ like a frog, dude. . ." Wally said, tilting his head to see him at a different angle. Maybe he was like. . . a salamander or something. Those were slimy, right?

Kaldur bowed his head. "I know. I am under an enchantment. I was once a human, you see."

Wally cupped his hands on the ground and Kaldur jumped inside, letting him lift him up once again. Behind him, Artemis made a noise but stayed where she was.

"Sounds like a tough break. Wanna tell us what happened?"

Kaldur nodded his head. "Very well. I used to live near the ocean, on the outskirts of the Martian Kingdom, making my living as a fisherman. One day I caught something unusual in my net. It was a young lady: half human, half fish. . ."

Wally's face broke into an excited grin. "You caught a mermaid!"

"I didn't think they were real. . ." Artemis murmured into his shoulder.

Kaldur continued solemnly. "Yes, she was a mermaid, and the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. Her name was Tula and I fell instantly in love with her. However, I knew she could never survive on land, so I released her back into the sea."

Artemis peeked over Wally's shoulder. "That's so sad. . . I'm sorry."

"I was miserable for weeks," he continued, "Tula occupied my every thought, though I knew we could never be together. On the outside of the kingdom lies an enchanted forest, where a great sorcerer was rumored to live. Desperate, I entered the forest and sought out the sorcerer. His name was Aquaman and he promised to help me. He said he knew a spell that would turn me into a merman. He said if Tula returned my love, the spell would last forever and I would spend the rest of my days as a merman. . . with her. But if she did not return my love after three days time, then I would turn into a frog. . ." He lifted his head to gaze at a point past Wally and Artemis, looking at something they could never see. "There was a merman named Garth. Tula had known him much longer than I. . . I never stood a chance, to be honest. . ."

A silence fell over the group as Wally and Artemis processed the information. Wally pet Kaldur's back idly, thinking of what it would be like to reach his own love, only to find someone else had beaten him there. "I'm so sorry, Kaldur. . ."

"Is there anyway to break the spell?" Artemis asked quietly, her grip on Wally's shirt loosening ever so lightly.

Kaldur glanced up at her, hopeful. "There's only one way: the kiss of a pure maiden."

Artemis shook her head. "No. There's no way. . ."

"My Princess, please! I beg of you!"

Finally letting go of Wally's shirt, she stood and took a few steps back, her dagger pressed firmly to her chest. "I can't. There's just no way. . ."

Wally glanced over his shoulder at her with a heavy scowl. "Forget it Kaldur. I'm not sure how 'pure' of a maiden she is anyway."

Kaldur looked offended (or at least as offended as a frog could look)."She is a princess, of course she is pure! You should never speak ill of a lady, my Prince."

Wally rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah I know." Artemis wasn't a lady. She was. . . well, she was Artemis. "You know you can just call me Wally, if you want," he said distractedly, staring up in thought. "Say Kaldur, do you think the kiss of a prince would help? I'm pretty pure, as far as men go I guess (he pretended not to hear Artemis snort from behind him), and I don't mind frogs."

Kaldur didn't seem convinced. "I suppose you can try. . ."

"Look Arty! At the very least, I'll prove you won't die if you kiss him!" He laughed then leaned over and gave Kaldur a quick peck on the lips. He waited for a few seconds before sighing and wiping his lips off. "Well, guess I'm too manly for this spell. . ."

Artemis had watched from a good three yards away. "Look, I'd like to help you, I really would, but I just _can't_. . ."

"It's all right, my princess. It was wrong of me to ask you to overcome a phobia. I'll find a maiden someday. . ."

Wally frowned at the absolute depression rolling off his little frog friend. He placed him on his shoulder then started pulling his boots on. "Don't worry Kaldur! You can travel with us! Riding on my shoulder will be tons quicker than hopping along by yourself. We'll find a nice maiden to kiss you in no time!"

Kaldur's little froggy eyes welled up with tears (again, Wally had to refrain from cooing). "Thank you, Prince Wally! I can never repay you this good deed!"

"Just Wally. And don't mention it man! If I was a frog, I'd want someone to help me along!" He grabbed his sword and strapped it to his back, careful not to knock Kaldur off his shoulder. "You going to be okay with this arrangement missy?" He gave her a look that clearly said that she better be okay with it.

She frowned, but nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Thank you, my princess," Kaldur said quietly. Wally frowned, thinking he shouldn't be thanking Artemis at all, but didn't say anything.

He thought Artemis may have been thinking the same as he as she quietly answered, "Just call me Artemis. I'm not really much of a princess anyway. . ."

Wally's anger at Artemis had slowly faded.

She had tried, multiple times, to kiss Kaldur. He didn't think she knew he was watching, but almost every night for a week straight she had gotten up and crawled over to Kaldur's sleeping form, leaning over him with her lips puckered. Inevitably though, her whole body would start shaking and she would end up jumping away with a small cry and crawling back to the pile of hair she had cut to sleep on (weeeiiiiird).

For whatever reason, Artemis seemed honestly afraid of frogs. She was willing to try though, despite her fear, so Wally couldn't very well stay mad at her.

They hadn't come across any maidens yet, but that wasn't horribly surprising; they were still out in the wilderness. Kaldur was directing them to the Martian Kingdom, which the map showed to be on the way to the Kingdom of Bats. They could only hope the girls there were nice and not too stingy with their kisses (or maybe they _wanted_ them kiss-stingy, because they were supposed to be pure, but they had to be up for kissing strange frogs and aaaahhhh, it was so confusing!).

Since Kaldur had started traveling with them, Artemis always made sure to keep several feet away from him. It seemed a little awkward at first, but Wally thought the distance quelled their fighting a tad. They seemed to argue best when they were screaming into each other's faces.

They passed a strange pointy rock with another rock jutting off it, almost like a large diving board. There was a smaller rock underneath, holding the diving board shaped one up.

"I recognize that," Kaldur said. He was sitting on Wally's head today, within the center of his crown. "If we keep up the pace we've been going, we should be at the Martian Kingdom by tomorrow afternoon."

Wally stopped observing the formation (it looked oddly familiar) and smiled. "That's great! That means we're almost halfway to the Kingdom of Bats! You know Kaldur, I'm sure we'll find someone in the Martian Kingdom to kiss you, but if we don't, I'll totally ask my princess to kiss you after I wake her up. I'm sure she won't mind, especially once she finds out you helped me get to her. I bet she's really generous and nice like that."

"Thank you Wally. That's very kind of you."

Artemis was glancing behind her. "Hey. . . do you guys feel. . . kind of uneasy?"

Wally raised an eyebrow. "No. You probably just ate something bad. I told you not to eat the spotted fruit."

She glared at him. "I think I know what is and isn't safe to eat a little better than you, Prince Glutton." She glanced over her shoulder again. "I think we're being followed."

Wally glanced behind him as well. "Not surprising. If I was a random traveler, I'd be tempted to follow the freaky piles of hair too, just to see where I ended up."

"Oh, so you're going to blame me?"

"If we're really being followed? Yeah, I blame you. Why would someone want to follow me and Kaldur? I mean, I know I'm sexy, but I've never been _stalked_ before. And Kaldur's just a frog. No offense man."

"That's. . . okay. I'm not offended."

"So, the only logical reason someone would follow us would be because of your hair." Case closed. Artemis didn't look happy, but whatever. He just won an argument without even really trying, so all was well.

"Get down!"

Wally would later thank his quick reflexes as he hit the ground and the arrow aimed at him whizzed overhead. He glanced behind him as he scrambled to his feet, unsheathing his sword.

Before him, the potential-serial killer took another arrow from the holster on his back and took aim. Wally jumped out of the way as he shot.

"Roy, what are you doing!"

"Shut up Artemis, I'm saving you!" He shot again and Wally knocked it out of the air with his sword. It was an accident, but he tried to mask his shocked expression to make it look intentional.

"I don't _need_ saving Roy, go away!"

Roy paused, arrow in hand. "You were kidnaped!"

"I was not!"

"Then who's he!"

It struck Wally that the potential-pillager and Artemis kind of acted like siblings. Insane siblings, but sibling nonetheless.

"He's a friend!"

Roy scrutinized Wally then took aim. "You're afraid of frogs. He's threatening you with it, isn't he?" He shot the arrow and Wally dropped to the ground again. His tunic was going to get dirty at this rate. . .

"Roy, stop it! No one is threatening me!"

Roy turned from Wally and Kaldur and aimed his bow at her instead, gritting his teeth, "Then why did you leave?"

"The princess is free to do as she pleases! It is not right of you to harass her like this!" Kaldur spoke up, jumping off of Wally's head (Wally remained sprawled on the ground, half-afraid to move) and hopping toward Roy.

Roy spared him a quick glance. Then he kicked him.

"Kaldur!" Wally and Artemis both shouted as their amphibian friend went hurling across the field. They both ran over to where he landed and began searching through the grass for his small form. Wally found him and gently scooped him up. He wasn't moving.

Artemis spun around to face Roy, anger radiating from her entire being. "Did you really expect me to live in a tower by myself my entire life! Uncle Ollie may have given me to you, but he had no right! I'm a person, not your property!"

"You were safe in that tower!"

"Safe from what! People? Here's a news flash Roy, all the people I've met so far have turned out to be really good friends!"

Wally thought she was using the phrase "really good friends" a little loosely, but didn't question her.

Roy lowered his bow. "You wanted to live alone. . ."

"What!"

"We were fighting. . . and you said you would have rather lived alone than with me."

"So you locked me in a _TOWER_!"

The tension between them was too much for Wally. Trying his best to ignore them, he gently poked Kaldur's stomach. "Hey buddy," he whispered, "Rise and shine. . ."

"Well, what was I supposed to do! If I let you go, you would have went back to Oliver, and he would have just gave you away again! Probably to someone dangerous!"

"Ooooh, so you were 'protecting' me, were you? As if Roy, why would you even care!"

"Because I'm your big brother!"

His proclamation was met with dead silence. Wally glanced up nervously.

". . . figuratively," Roy murmured, his cheeks flushing red, "Maybe I was wrong, but I've never had family before! I didn't know what else to do!" His bow was fully lowered now, his hands hanging limp at his side. "No one was there to protect me when I was your age. . . there's a lot of bad in the world, Artemis. All I ever wanted was for you to be safe. . ."

Artemis stood uncertainly, wavering. "I thought you locked me up because I wasn't a good enough partner."

Roy dropped his bow to the ground and walked toward her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You were the best I could have ever asked for."

She scrubbed furiously at her eyes as they started to water, then gripped the wrist of the hand Roy had on her shoulder. "If you expect me to hug you," she sniffed, her breath catching, "then you can just go screw yourself. Cause it's not happening."

Roy smiled gently. "Like I'd want a hug from a loser brat like you."

"You guys are such freaks."

The two reconciled archers glanced down at Wally who was looking at them like they'd just escaped from the royal looney bin. Artemis dropped to her knees next to him, peering over his hands.

"Kaldur? Are you all right?"

Kaldur was beginning to stir. "Mmm, I think so. I'm a little shaken, but alive." He rolled over onto his stomach, making a pitiful sight.

"Aww, frogs are so cute," Wally whispered, unable to contain himself.

"Thank you for standing up for me Kaldur. That was so brave of you." With a small smile she closed her eyes and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Artemis, but your fear!" Kaldur exclaimed as his body began to glow. Wally set him on the grass and stepped away to give him space.

Leaning against Roy, she smiled. "I know but, I figure you're not really all that much like a frog anyway."

And there before their eyes, he transformed.

* * *

><p><strong>Wally thought the rock formation seemed familiar. Did you? ;)<strong>  
><strong>To tell the truth, Roy originally wasn't set to make a reappearance. He just kind of wormed his way in there while I wasn't looking (which works for me cause I love the boy to bits).<strong>  
><strong>So for this chapter we have a mixture of the Princess and the Frog and the Little Mermaid (my personal fav). <strong>  
><strong>As always, please point out any and all mistakes of any nature and I'll go about correcting them.<strong>  
><strong>And reveeeeiiiiiw! Reviews make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night. They make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee, just the thought of reviews can drive me wild. Ooh, reviews make me smile. (Kudos to anyone who knows this song. Every time I hear it, which is a lot because it plays at my job, I think of Wally singing it to Dick. Someone should make a WallyxDick AMV for me, using this song. I'd love you forever!)<strong>


	4. Cinderella Part 1

**Howdy all!  
>Big shout out to sonadow1111 for making me a 'Smile' KFRob music video! I've linked to it on my profile, if anyone wants to watch. =) I was very touched that she went through the trouble just for me!**  
><strong>Disclaimer: Not mine. (The plan. It's fierce. And intense. And brilliant. I'm going to stop talking about it lest someone tries to steal it.)<br>As always, please report any errors in the story to me. I'll admit I don't comb through this story as vigorously as my others, so I really appreciate it when you guys point stuff out.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Wally was exhausted. They all were exhausted.<p>

The incident with Roy (who Wally had learned was less likely to be a cannibal/psychopath/drug-addict/rapist/serial-killer/pillager than he had originally thought) had only set them back about an hour or two, so they arrived at the Martian Kingdom a little after noon.

Kaldur was naked after his grand transformation, giving their "yay-you're-human-again" celebration a decidedly awkward spin. Wally leant him his golden boxers (which proved how gallant a prince he really was, because wearing tights while going commando was soooo not cool) to wear while they traveled, promising to buy him some clothes as soon as they reached the kingdom.

Not trusting his taste in clothing (which were impeccable, thank you very much), Artemis forced her company upon him and went with him to the marketplace, leaving Roy and Kaldur about a mile away from the town, sitting under a tree. Wally offered to buy Roy some new clothes too, which earned him a glare and a big speech about how he didn't _care_ that he was poor, and he didn't _want_ Wally's pity and yadda yadda yadda. He'd probably buy him something anyway.

They went to a quaint little shop and picked up a few things: dark blue tights, a black tunic with a red belt, and a pair of red gloves and black boots for Kaldur (boxers too, because Wally kind of wanted his back), and a pair of black gloves for Roy, because Artemis claimed he would get blisters from his bow sometimes, but he couldn't afford lasting gloves.

Wally tried to hold all the bags but Artemis yelled at him, calling him a sexist pig for not thinking her strong enough to hold a few measly bags, and made him share the load. He relented, but his princely pride was wounded.

His princess would probably let him hold all her bags. Not that she would shop all that often. She probably wasn't overly material. She was probably one of those tough princesses who would rather learn how to use a sword than do girly stuff like shop. Wally grinned as he imagined standing behind her, teaching her how to hold the sword properly. She was probably petite, and he would joke that she wasn't big enough to hold it, but of course she would prove him wrong. His girl would be tough like that.

"Wally, watch where you're going!"

Wally broke away from his daydream, but couldn't stop himself from colliding with the girl before him.

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed as both of them, and their bags, went sprawling to the ground.

Wally got off of her with a small groan. "Hey, I'm really sorry. I wasn't–"

"M'gann!"

Wally glanced up to see who had interrupted him. Towering over him and the mystery girl was a girl about his own age with blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail. She was wearing a long blue skirt and a red corset top, laced together in the front with gold. Beside her stood a girl of the same age wearing a near identical outfit, except the blue and red were reversed. This girl also had long blonde hair, though hers was free, cascading down past her shoulders. Both girls were wearing shiny gold slippers.

"M'gann, what are you doing!"

"M'gann, you did that on purpose didn't you!"

"You were trying to get our stuff dirty!"

"You wanted to lose it!"

"Pick it up!"

"Pick it up, M'gann!"

"Of course! I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" The girl he bumped into scrambled to her knees and started picking everything up. Wally started.

"Hey, wait! Let me help! It's my fault!"

"It _is_ his fault. You guys shouldn't be so hard on her. She didn't do anything wrong," Artemis said, regarding the glowering girls with a harsh look.

"You can't tell us what to do! She did it on purpose and she should have to pick it up!" "Cascading" snapped, taking a step toward Artemis. "Ponytail" was instantly at her side, backing her up.

Artemis, never one to back down from a fight, marched toward them til she was right in their faces. "It was an _accident_. If you were good friends, you would help her!"

"Please Miss, it was my fault, really. . ." the girl quietly said, her words seemingly unheard by anyone but Wally.

The girls looked offended. This observation was strengthened by the dual scoff of shock they admitted. "You think she's our _friend_? As if _we_ would ever be friends with _that_! Do you have any idea who we are!" Ponytail snarled, her face so close to Artemis' their noses almost touched.

"No, but I think I'm getting a good idea. You're the town bitches, right?"

Wally could almost see the rage pouring off the two girls. "We don't have to put up with this."

"No, we don't"

"We're leaving."

"We are. M'gann, you better bring everything we bought home with you, and it all better be in perfect condition."

"And leave your new _friends_ behind." With a final glare at Artemis, the two girls spun on their heels with identical huffs and marched away. Artemis got down and began furiously picking up the dropped items.

"Those little. . . I ought to break everything here," she looked up at the strange girl, the anger rolling off her powerful enough to make her (and Wally, but he wouldn't admit that) wince. "Who were those girls, and why do you hang out them? I'm sure you could do waaaaay better than that," she spat, pointing a thumb to the girls' disappearing figures.

The girls hung her head and Wally allowed himself to really look at her for the first time. She had red hair and green skin, littered with freckles. The color scheme of her outfit was similar to the other girls: blue, red and gold, but also with some white mixed in. She was wearing a white top with billowed sleeves underneath a red corset and a blue skirt covered by a white apron. Her red hair was partially covered by a white handkerchief and she wasn't wearing any shoes. Her entire outfit was a tad dirty and looked rather old.

"The one with her hair up is Wondergirl, and the other is Supergirl. They're my sisters," she admitted quietly, gently putting the items back in their respective bags, "Please don't be mad at them. They aren't always like that, sometimes they're. . . nice."

Artemis snorted. "I'm sure."

Wally put away the last object and started picking up bags. "If they're your sisters, why do they treat you like that? Aren't sisters supposed to, you know, love each other and stuff?"

She tried to take the bags but Wally held them away, shaking his head with a laugh. "No way sweetheart, we're not letting you carry all these back alone. We'll take you home."

For once, Artemis agreed with him. "He's right, this is too much for you to carry alone. Let us help."

She bowed her head. "Thank you so much. I don't know how to show my gratitude. . ."

"How about a smile, beautiful?" Wally grinned at her and she smiled shyly back. "That's better! Now, lead the way and you can tell us what's got your sisters' panties in such a bunch."

She laughed lightly and did as he said, leading them across the plaza. "Wondergirl and Supergirl are actually my stepsisters. My mother died when I was very young and I was raised by my father. Several years ago though, he remarried. I always got the feeling my stepmother didn't like me, but things weren't so bad. We were happy, I think." Her steps slowed as a pained look crossed her features. "But then my father died and I became the outsider of the family. My stepmother and stepsisters force me to wait on them hand and foot. They took my clothes and bedroom, making me sleep in the attic, and they only give me scraps to eat. They took everything my father worked for and now act as if they earned it." The poor girl looked close to tears. Hands full, the best Wally could manage was a gentle, comforting nudge to the shoulder. She looked up at him, then to Artemis. "Can you two keep a secret?"

They exchanged a look. "Sure we can." Wally said, smiling sincerely.

"Before he died, my father told me that my mother was a princess. She gave up her crown to be with my father, whom she was forbidden to marry because he wasn't of royal blood." She lifted her head to the left and Wally and Artemis followed her gaze to a large castle sitting on a hill above the town. "Our ruler, King J'onn. . . my father said he was my mother's brother, which would make him my uncle. He probably doesn't know my mother died, or that I even exist. I feel like if I could just talk to him, then maybe. . . I don't know. Maybe things would be different. Maybe I could have a real family again. . ." she sighed, "Getting into the palace is next to impossible though."

They came to a large mansion and the girl turned around, regarding them with a small smile. "Well, here we are. Home sweet home. Sorry that I can't invite you in, but. . ."

"We understand." Artemis reassured with a grin.

She smiled back. "Thank you. I'm sorry for bothering you both with my troubles," she laughed, "and without even introducing myself! Duh M'gann, how rude! My name is M'gann M'orzz!"

"Nice to meet ya, Meg! I'm Prince Wally, of the Kingdom of Flash, and this here is Artemis, princess of the Arrow Kingdom!"

She smiled brightly. "It was very nice to meet you both! Thank you so much for helping me and listening."

"M'gann, is that you!"

"What took you so long!"

"Where's our stuff! M'gann!"

"M'gann!"

"I hope to see you both again! Goodbye!" And then she was off, rushing toward the overpowering voices of her stepsisters. "I'm coming!"

Heading back the way they came, Wally sighed. "Man, she sure has it rough. Poor girl. . ."

Artemis nodded. "I feel bad. I wish there was something we could do to help. . ."

Wally heard a slight crinkling noise with his next step and looked down, lifting his foot to reveal a piece of parchment. Curious, he picked it up and scanned the calligraphy, grinning widely by the time he was done.

"Lookit Arty, maybe we can help after all. . ."

* * *

><p>Wally watched Kaldur change apprehensively. The older teen had promised to bring them to the Martian Kingdom, which he did, and his human form was already restored so. . .<p>

"Kaldur?"

Typing the sash-like belt around his waist, Kaldur looked up. "Yes, Wally?"

He twiddled his thumbs. "Now that you're, you know, human and all, what are you, uh, planning on doing. . .and stuff?" Wally remembered Kaldur saying he was a fisherman that lived on the outskirts of the kingdom. He probably had a cabin by the water to return to or something. It was a depressing thought, for Wally at least.

Kaldur seemed to sense the sombreness of his mood. "Well, I was thinking I would help you see your quest through. You helped me regain my humanity, it's only right that I assist you in finding your princess." He grinned slyly, "Unless you don't want me?"

"No!" Wally yelled, jumping to his feet. "I mean, we'd love to have you in our group, right guys?" He looked down at Artemis and Roy, who had been sitting beside him.

Artemis nodded. "Of course. We'd love to have you with us, Kaldur."

Roy was examining his gloves. He'd been mad when Wally presented them to him, but he kept them nonetheless. "I don't have a problem with it."

Kaldur nodded. "Very well then, I'll accompany you."

"Yes!" Wally fisted the air. "Now that that's settled, let's get down to quest business!" Wally plopped back down on the ground by Roy and Artemis, Kaldur following suit so that they were sitting in a small diamond. "Now, with every good quest comes a number of side quests. Artemis," he turned to regard her, "You were a side quest, sort of, and you too Kaldur!" He looked at Roy. "I'm not sure what you are. A random anti-villain or something, I guess."

Roy rolled his eyes. "You have a point here, Prince of the Flashers?"

Wally crinkled his nose but otherwise ignored the nickname, having grown used to it. Roy had latched onto the pun the moment Wally had first introduced himself. "Yes, I have a point! The point is, I have a side quest for us!" He pulled a piece of parchment from his wallet and unfolded it, laying it out before them. Kaldur picked it up and skimmed it before handing it to Roy.

"We're going to help this girl, M'gann, regain her rightful place as princess of the Martian Kingdom!"

Roy was frowning. Scowling. Wally found it hard to tell the difference with him. "Who's M'gann? And why do we have to help her?"

"Wally and I met her when we were in town. She's a nice girl."

"I've lived in the Martian Kingdom my whole life. I do not recall there ever being a princess. . ." Kaldur said, placing a hand to his chin, "I know I live rather removed from the towns, but still. . . are you certain this M'gann is being honest?"

"Definitely! Her mom was like, the current King's sister or something, but then she married M'gann's dad, which the old King didn't like so he was all, 'You're no daughter of mine!' and he kicked her out of the castle! And then they got married and had M'gann but then she died, the mom not M'gann, and M'gann's dad remarried this mean lady with these mean kids, Wondergirl and Supergirl, and they took M'gann's stuff and make her clean the house, which they probably dirty on purpose just to give her more work, and sleep in the attic, which probably has bugs, and cook their meals, which they probably pretend not to like just to upset her, and," Roy placed a freshly gloved hand over Wally's mouth.

"You're such a spazz, Prince Flasher. We'll help this M'gann if you really want us to, but wanna tell me why we're bothering? Shouldn't you be focusing on your own princess?"

Wally pried his hand away. "Well yeah. . . but M'gann's miserable. I can't just go on my way and pretend I never met her. What kind of prince would I be if I did that? My princess will understand. She'd probably do the same thing, in my shoes. . . boots. In my boots."

Kaldur smiled fondly. "That's very noble of you Wally. You have a lot of integrity," he stood up, "Now, let's go see this Martian princess. Maybe on the way you can explain to us how a royal ball is going to help?" He handed the parchment, an advertisement for a grand ball to be held that night at the royal palace, back to Wally.

"The royal ball is the keystone to my master plan," Wally grinned, "Trust me guys. Before midnight tonight, M'gann is going to meet her Uncle and become the princess she deserves to be!"

Roy was touching his butt.

"Dude! What are you doing!"

"Shhh! Shut it, Prince Loudmouth!" Artemis hissed from the window above him, which she was currently leaning out of with her hair dangling down the side of the building. The boys had stood on each other's shoulders and allowed her to climb up first so that she could lower her hair down (she forwent her daily cutting for the sake of the plan) and let them climb up after her. Wally had started climbing first, then Roy, with Kaldur bringing up the rear.

"He touched my butt, missy!"

"Don't flatter yourself Prince Flasher, it's not like I _wanted_ to touch your ass. I was just keeping you from falling." He put his hand back on Wally's butt and pushed, earning an indignant squawk from the younger boy, "Now move it!"

Wally complied with a grumble. "I wasn't even falling, you perv. . ."

"Could have fooled me. You certainly flailed enough."

"Will you all _shut up_? Are you _trying_ to get us caught?" Artemis seethed (quietly) again, glaring down at them. Wally and Roy glared back (Kaldur agreed with her, but was too passive to voice his opinion) but complied, silently climbing her hair the rest of the way.

Once they were all inside, Wally let himself look around. They were in a laundry room. "All right, now we just need to find M'gann. . ."

"While avoiding the despicable duo and their mommy. . ." Artemis quipped.

"Should we split up to search and just meet back here?" Kaldur suggested, "It will be easier for us to hide as individuals, rather than as a group."

Wally nodded slowly. "Yeah, that'll probably be best. We'll cover more ground that way too." The mansion wasn't _that_ big, as far as mansions go, but still. It was a _mansion_. Big was kind of in the definition.

"Oh my!"

They all turned to the door, where a certain green redhead was standing with a basket of laundry and a shocked expression.

"So much for being stealthy," Roy grumbled, crossing his arms.

Wally punched his shoulder, grinning, "Quit complaining Robin Hood (Roy frowned). This saves us a bunch of time! Hey M'gann!"

She closed the door behind her with her foot and carried the basket over to a wash tub and washboard. "Hello Prince Wally, Princess Artemis. I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon." She walked past them to the window and looked out. "Did you climb in through the window? That's kind of impressive. . ."

"Sure did, beautiful!" Wally boasted, thrusting his chest out. "And we'd scale even higher walls for you if we had to, right guys?"

They were silent until Artemis shrugged. "Maybe."

M'gann laughed when Wally's shoulders slumped and he started quietly chiding them for not being more chivalrous. "So, are you two going to introduce me to your friends?"

"What? Oh! Yeah, yeah! M'gann," Wally ran behind Kaldur and pushed him forward, "this is Kaldur! He lives right here in the kingdom! Kaldur, this is Princess M'gann!"

Kaldur took her hand and pressed a light kiss to her fingers, "The pleasure is all mine, my princess."

Her cheeks lit up. "Princess? Oh no, I'm just. . . plain old M'gann."

Wally ignored her, running over to Roy and grabbing his bicep, yanking him forward, "And this is Roy, from the Arrow Kingdom! He's Artemis' keeper."

Roy laughed while Artemis sputtered and protested behind him, and shook M'gann's hand. "Nice to meet you."

M'gann nodded. "Likewise. So, what brings all of you here? I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

"I got you something!" Wally piped up, taking off the burlap knapsack he had strapped to his back and digging inside. He pulled out a gorgeous pink gown and held it out to her. She took it hesitantly and he went back in the sack, "There's shoes in here too! We kind of had to guess your sizes. We figured you were about the same size as Artemis dress wise, but we got a size down with the shoes, cause Arty has big feet," Artemis hit him but he went on as if he didn't notice, "And I got you a necklace too!" He stood up, holding a pair of matching pink slippers in one hand and a pearl necklace in the other.

M'gann was gaping. "Prince Wally-what-I don't understand! What is this all for?"

Wally grinned like a madman. "It's all part of my plan! M'gann, we're going to get you into the castle to see your uncle," he took the flyer from his wallet and showed it to her, "There's a royal ball tonight. Everyone in the kingdom is invited. This is the perfect chance for you!"

"Prince Wally. . ."

"Just call me Wally."

". . . Wally. I couldn't possibly ask. . . this all must have been so expensive. . ."

Wally disregarded her worries with the wave of his hand, "Don't worry about the price, I just used my credit card," he held up the thin piece of wood, as if it was proof she shouldn't worry, "And you didn't ask. We're helping you because we want to, you didn't have to ask. I'm actually looking for family too," he gave her a lopsided grin, "Sort of. We won't be family until we get married. But these guys all offered to help me find her without me asking. . . well, Arty I sort of asked, but that's besides the point! Helping each other out is just what friends do."

Tears filled her eyes as she enveloped Wally in a hug, then turned to hug the rest in turn. "Thank you so much, all of you! This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. How can I ever repay you?"

"Just make sure you make a good impression on that uncle of yours, Megalicious," Wally said with a wink. She nodded enthusiastically.

"I will, I promise!"

They crossed to the window. "We'll escort you to the palace if you want. Will the steps let you out of the house?" Climbing out a window wearing a gown wasn't recommended, but they could probably handle it.

M'gann nodded, "Yes, my stepmother said I could go if I could find a gown. I had given up. . ."

"Will they be willing to take you with them?" Roy asked, eyebrow raised. Based on what Wally and Artemis had said, M'gann's "family" didn't seem like the most agreeable people.

"They should! They rented a carriage and everything!"

"We'll stick around just in case they leave without you," Artemis promised as she threw her hair out the window. Roy climbed down first, then Wally.

"Good luck, my princess," Kaldur said with a small bow, following after Wally.

Artemis glanced over to her and gave her a warm smile. "You're going to look beautiful, you know. Your uncle will love you."

M'gann was about to respond when Wally's voice cut her off, "Go ahead and jump, missy! I'll catch you!"

"Like you could, _I'll_ catch her."

"No, _I _will. I caught her before, when I was rescuing her from _your_ stupid tower."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Boys, right? Good luck," he said, jumping from the window.

"Dude, Kaldur! I could have caught her!"

"Sorry Prince Weakling, but felt a little safer having Kaldur catch me."

Wally hrmph'ed, "You're right, I may not have been able to handle you. Since you're so fat and all-Ow!"

M'gann giggled lightly. Her new friends were so cute.

* * *

><p><strong>Let me explain something real quick.<br>Some of you may be questioning why some characters (Roy, M'gann, Barry, etc) use their real names while others (Aquaman, Wondergirl, Supergirl) get their superhero names. This is because the whole story takes place in Wally's subconscious. Some names he knows, some he doesn't. I figured, being best friends with know-it-all Robin, Wally has probably heard of nearly every hero, including Wondergirl and Supergirl (for future readers, they haven't shown up in the series yet, as I'm writing this), so he can incorporate them into his dreams without ever actually having met them. He doesn't, however, know their secret identities, so his mind makes do. Because it's a dream, he doesn't find their not-names odd.  
>I figured he doesn't know Aquaman's name simply because Aquaman is never really around, and not many people really seem to care about him anyway, haha.<br>Also, because this is a dream, (and more importantly, _Wally's_ dream) he can use magical credit cards made out of wood.**  
><strong>And for the record, I love Supergirl. I don't know much about Wondergirl, but she seems nice enough. They are mean here, not because I hate them (cause I don't) but because I needed stepsisters and they struck me as the best choice, one being an original Young Justice member and the other being very widely known. So don't hate on me for hatin' because I'm not actually hatin'. =P<strong>


	5. Cinderella Part 2

**Sooo, y'all would have had this yesterday if FF didn't decide to act like poo and be all, "FILE NOT COMPATIBLE RAWR!" How bothersome.  
>On a happier note, the lovely Lillythemarshmellowqueen made me some awesome fanart of Artemis and Kaldur, in his froggy form! I put the link to it on my profile, and everyone should totally go check it out! =D<br>I have to admit, a small part of the reason I describe everyone's outfits as much as I do is because I secretly hope for fanart. If anyone wants to draw King Barry with his larger-than-his-head puffy sleeves. . . well, to say I would love it would be an understatement. ;) Just saying, lol.  
>Disclaimer: Nope. Nada. Not mine. (Btw, I'm sure you've all heard the new episode set to air June 3rd was CANCELED! D8 With NO new date for us to look forward to! I am NOT happy about this Cartoon Network. NOT HAPPY AT ALL! *cue incoherent grumbling*)<strong>

* * *

><p>Wally peeked around the corner of the mansion.<p>

"I see Supergirl and Wondergirl. They're looking as twintastic as usual." An older woman was getting into the carriage, the teen girls following close behind. The coachman snapped the reins and the horses took off at a light trot, passing their hiding spot and disappearing down the road. They all stared.

Kaldur was the first to break the silence. "M'gann. . . was not in that carriage."

"Nope," Roy agreed.

Glancing around quickly to make sure they were alone, Wally left the shadows they were crouched in and ran to the mansion's front door. The others followed.

He pushed at the door, slightly surprised to find it unlocked. "M'gann?"

He heard her soft sobs before he actually saw her, kneeling in the middle of the floor, her dress hanging limply off her body, in tears, her shoes gone.

"M'gann!" He stepped forward and found his foot sliding out from under him. Roy caught him before he fell and he looked down. Pearls. The floor was covered in several dozen unstrung pearls.

Artemis dodged the pearls and made her way to M'gann's side, enveloping the girl in a hug. "M'gann, what happened?"

"They said I stole it. . ." she whispered, clutching Artemis' arm, "They said there was no other way I could have gotten such nice things. . . and they didn't want to be caught associating with a thief. Wondergirl said they had to destroy the evidence and then. . . Supergirl started pulling at my dress. Wondergirl snapped my necklace. . . it all happened so fast. Before I even knew it. . ." she lifted a torn piece of fabric off the floor and started sobbing with a new vigor, "I'll never see my Uncle J'onn now!"

An air of quiet solemnity fell over them.

"I could go buy another dress!" Wally yelled, glancing hopefully at them all. It was a great idea! The pickings would be slim, but that didn't matter, not much. He could be back in no time!

M'gann shook her head. "The whole town is closed down. Everyone's at the ball. . ."

Silence ruled once again, broken only by M'gann occasional sniffles and quiet sobs.

Then the side wall exploded.

They all stared with wide eyes as the room filled with dust. The chandelier fell from the ceiling and Wally yelled, backing into Roy to avoid it.

The dust slowly began to settle, disclosing a large (large as in, super incredibly enormously large) hole in the wall. Inside the hole stood the silhouette of what appeared to be a person. A very tall, very broad, boxy kind of person.

"M'gann M'orzz?" the figure boomed, the silhouette coming a bit closer.

"Y-yes?" she squeaked, clutching more tightly to Artemis and watching the figure with large eyes.

The dust finally completely settled, revealing what appeared to be red robot wearing a periwinkle hooded robe with a giant pink bow at the neck. They continued staring silently.

"My name is Red Tornado and I am your fairy godrobot," the robot said, striding over to her then coming to a halt right in front of her, looming above her, "I have appeared to assist you in making your dreams come true."

"O-oh?" M'gann asked timidly, staring up at him.

"Affirmative. Please stand."

She did as told, bringing Artemis up with her. Red Tornado lifted a hand and a small twister issued forth, engulfing the girls. The boys lunged forward with a cry.

The wind dissipated, leaving behind the girls who were now decked out in gorgeous gowns. Artemis' was green with silver embellishing. A silver circlet lay on her head and her hair had been set in a lavish updo that kept the unreasonable length off the floor. She lifted the length of the dress to reveal her combat boots, which had changed into silver slippers. She didn't look happy. M'gann, on the other hand, seemed thrilled. Her tattered dress had transformed into a gorgeous shimmering gown of gold with matching gold slippers and a gold silk choker around her neck. She raised her golden gloved hands to her head, fingering the dainty tiara sitting there. She grasped the sides of the dress and twirled in a circle, looking down at herself. "Oh, it's so beautiful! All of it!"

Red Tornado turned to regard the boys, who promptly shut their mouths, which were hanging open. He raised his hand again and they flinched as they too were engulfed in a cyclone, only to emerge in rich, princely attire. Wally, used to such apparel, reached up to make sure his crown was still intact. It was, as was his sword. He looked down and noted with pleasant surprise that his outfit still had his signature lighting bolt embroidered on the front. This Red Tornado guy really knew what he was doing.

To his left, Kaldur seemed to be impressed with his new clothing as well. To his right, Roy. . . well, Roy was never happy about anything anyway. He actually looked kind of pissed.

M'gann skipped over, practically dancing, and took in their appearances. "You all look wonderful! This is fantastic!" She flitted away from them and over to the oddly dressed robot. "Thank you so much, fairy godrobot!"

Red Tornado nodded. "You have until midnight before your clothes will revert to their original forms. Come, I will take you to the ball."

"Wait," Artemis said, holding up an elegantly gloved hand, "Why are _we_ all decked out? M'gann is the only one that needs to go."

"M'gann will benefit from your presence, for moral as well as tactical support," he said, matter-of-factly.

"Tactical?" Roy asked, taking the new crown off his head to examine it.

"Affirmative. I suggest you work to distract her step-family, in the event they wish to intervene. A scene would best be avoided, particularly before she meets the king."

M'gann looked at them. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. . ."

Wally smiled. "It's no problem, Megs. Trust me, I'm a pro at this royal ball stuff," he looked up at Red Tornado, "So, how are we getting there, big guy?" It was getting late; if they had to walk, they wouldn't have much time left to find the king before midnight.

Red Tornado responded by grabbing Wally and tossing him over his shoulder, ignoring the boy's cry of protest. Roy got the same treatment, getting thrown on the other shoulder. His protests (slightly louder but also less obnoxious than Wally's) also went unheeded. Crouching slightly, the robot scooped the girls up so that M'gann was comfortably cradled in his left arm and Artemis in his right.

"Fisherman, if you would climb onto my back, we can leave."

Kaldur did as he was asked, easily securing himself to the robot's back. Red Tornado's body began to slightly vibrate before his lower half became engulfed in a red tornado (Wally realized in that moment where the robot may have gotten his name) and he torpedoed out of the mansion via his hole in the wall. Using the tornado to propel himself, he flew the group to the castle, arriving there in less than a minute.

He let the girls down gently while Kaldur climbed down, then he unceremoniously tossed Wally and Roy off him.

He bowed to M'gann. "Best of luck to you, Princess M'gann. May all your dreams come true," he said, right before blasting off into the night sky.

M'gann waved after him. "Thank you fairy godrobot! Thank you!" She turned to regard her friends, "Ready guys?"

Wally grinned, ignoring the slight pain in his bottom from where he'd been dropped. "Ready as we'll ever be, your highness," he bent down and held his hand out, gesturing for her to go before him. She complied with a slight giggle, climbing the steps to the palace.

It was easy to see M'gann was overwhelmed. Kaldur, Roy and Artemis were too, though they hid it a little better. Wally was used to this kind of stuff though. If anything, he was underwhelmed (underwhelmed, what an odd thing to think. . .).

"Hello there, gorgeous, would you like to dance?" A man in an expensive looking suit was holding a hand out to M'gann. Her cheeks turned red.

"Me? Uh, well. . ."

Wally slid an arm over her shoulders, "Maybe some other time. My _date_ and I just got here, and she really wanted to look around first. You understand, don't you?"

The man glanced at the bolt on Wally's chest, nodding quickly. "Right, right, of course. How presumptuous of me. Are you-"

"Thanks man. We'll see you around." And then Wally steered her away, the others following close behind.

"What was that about?" Artemis asked, eyebrow raised.

Wally shrugged. "The Flash family crest carries a lot of weight. We're a big kingdom. Anyway, here's the plan. Kaldur, you take care of M'gann," he lightly pushed the girl in his direction, "You two need to focus on finding the king. Artemis, your job is to find mommy dearest and distract her. Lavish her with compliments or something. Can you do that?"

She snorted. "If I must."

"Great. Roy, you're coming with me. We're going to take care of the sisters. From now on, you're the Prince of Arrow," he smirked, "Make sure you throw your title around. Kinda like I just did with that guy who was creeping on Megs. Just follow my lead."

They split up, Wally and Roy searching the crowds for the girls. They found them quickly enough.

Wally leaned toward Roy, "You wanna handle the one in blue?"

"Sure. That's Supergirl, right?"

"Right. And I'll take Wondergirl. Now stop scowling and try to look charming."

Roy smirked down at him. "Don't worry about me, Prince Flasher. I've got this."

They found themselves before the girls before Wally had a chance to reply. Wally took Wondergirl's hand and kissed it, looking up into her face.

"Hello." Wally blinked at the echo to his voice and glanced to his side to find Roy on the same level as him, looking back, Supergirl's hand in his. They had spoken (and hand kissed, apparently) simultaneously. The girls giggled.

They stood up straight and laughed with them. "We didn't plan that, honest," Roy promised, eyes on Supergirl. She blushed.

Wally smirked, looking Wondergirl straight in the eye. She blushed too. "You girls believe us, don't you?"

They exchanged a glance before looking up at the boys coyly. "Well, that may depend. Who exactly are you dashing gentlemen, may we ask?" Wondergirl asked, eyeing Wally carefully. Wally curled his toes in his boots, hoping against hope she wouldn't recognize him from the other day.

"Of course, how rude of us," Roy lamented.

"We were so distracted," Wally began.

"By your incredible beauty," Roy continued.

"Completely forgot our manners,"

"You'll have to forgive us,"

"I'm Prince Wally, from the Kingdom of Flash,"

"And I'm Prince Roy, from the Arrow Kingdom,"

"It's a pleasure to meet you girls," Wally purred, lowering his voice.

Roy also lowered his pitch, producing a huskier tone. "I hope you don't mind that we already know who you two are. We saw you across the room and we couldn't help but inquire about you from those around us."

"Since your beauty is so entrancing. Your girls. . . don't mind, do you?"

Relief flooded through him as they both shook their heads, falling into a fit of mad giggles. Roy and Wally exchanged a glance. Hook, line, and sinker. They were good.

* * *

><p>Wally and Roy walked mindlessly around with the sisters for over two hours, dancing every so often and flirting with all their might. They were exuding so much charm they were almost gagging on it. The girls laughed at everything they said and the double shrill sound had given them both a headache. Wally had to consciously keep himself from wincing.<p>

He glanced nervously around for a clock. What time was it? It had to be close to midnight by now. He caught Roy's eye and they shared an uneasy look.

"Wondergirl? Who's she?"

The boys looked in the direction Supergirl was pointing so fast they nearly got whiplash. By his side, Wondergirl tensed.

"I don't know, but it certainly looks an awful lot like-"

"Aww, come on you two! Who cares about some other girl! Why don't we dance?"

For the first time, Wondergirl didn't take the bait, actually pushing away from Wally. "That looks like-"

Supergirl followed suit, letting go of Roy's waist and moving out from under his arm. "But that's impossible! It can't be M'gann!"

Wally took the scene in at a glance. M'gann was across the crowd, Kaldur right behind her. She was rushing, fighting her way through the crowd. He looked up and saw why. The king was standing only a few yards away, talking to a guest. The girls couldn't interrupt her now.

"No!" Wally yelled, grabbing Wondergirl's wrist and wrenching her back. Roy followed suit, gripping Supergirl's hand and twirling her around until she smacked into her chest. They didn't have time to mask the panic-stricken expressions marring their faces.

"W-Where are you girls going? Are we boring you?" Wally asked, trying to keep his voice level.

"Who's M'gann? She can't be _that_ important, right? You both were having a good time," Roy said, rubbing Supergirl's shoulders. She pulled away.

"She's our. . . maid. She's our maid and she shouldn't be here!" Wally had to fight back the angry retort building behind his lips. Maid. What trash. She was their _sister_.

"We'll be right back boys, just stay put for a moment, okay? We'll be back," Wondergirl promised, pulling out of Wally's hold.

"Don't go!"

"You can't leave!"

The girls gave them perturbed looks as they were grabbed again. "We said we'd be back," they said together, not seeming to notice their synchronisation. People began to stare.

Noticing the slight attention, Wally decided to milk it. If a scene had to be made, he'd rather it be about him and Roy than M'gann.

He dropped to his knees, silently begging Roy to do the same. He wrapped his arms around Wondergirl's waist and pressed his cheek to her stomach. "Oh Wondergirl, I can't bear for you to leave my side! I think I may love you!"

"Supergirl, please, be my queen! I don't think I can live without you!" Wally didn't have to look to know Roy was on his knees, clutching Supergirl as he was Wondergirl.

"Queen?" The blonde squeaked, forgetting her stepsister momentarily.

Wondergirl, unfortunately, was not as easily deterred. "Wally, that's very sweet, but if you'll just let go. I'll be right back, I promise," she sounded a little frightened, which wasn't totally surprising, "Come on Supergirl, we'll be back."

"Um, could you let go Roy? My sister and I will be right back," she said weakly, trying to pull away. The boys maintained a vice grip.

With a groan of frustration, Wondergirl started walking backwards, dragging Wally with her. Supergirl did the same, ignoring Roy's lamenting cries and proclamations of love. If people weren't staring before, they most certainly were now.

Wally had to hand it to them, for such petite girls, Wondergirl and Supergirl were _strong_. They struggled, sure, but they still managed to drag Roy and Wally with them as they made their way across the room toward M'gann.

"Excuse me?" That was M'gann's voice. Wally looked around Wondergirl's waist and spotted the girl only a few feet in front of them, her hand on the king's arm. The King was turning to look at her. . .

"M'gann, what are you doing here!"

"You're supposed to be at home, M'gann! Where did you get that dress!"

"You stole it didn't you! Mother will be so angry M'gann!"

The girls had reached out and grabbed M'gann's arms, pulling her towards them.

"You have to take it all back, M'gann! Take it off right now!" Supergirl snatched the tiara off her head.

"You're such a brat, why won't you listen to us!" Wondergirl struggled with her glove, succeeding in ripping it off despite the other girl's efforts.

"Sisters, please stop! I didn't-"

"We're not your sisters!"

"Don't you dare say that, M'gann! You're not our sister!"

Using all his strength, Wally jerked backwards, sending Wondergirl hurtling to the ground on top of him. Roy had done the opposite, lurching forward and sending Supergirl sprawling to the ground. M'gann had to step quickly aside to avoid them.

"M'gann. . . is it?"

M'gann looked up to find the king staring down at her. Everyone in the palace was staring at them. She burst into tears as she nodded a few times, confirming his question.

The king gripped her chin and tilted her head up, examining her face. "What a remarkable resemblance. . . M'gann, you're my niece, aren't you?"

He let go of her chin and she nodded again, her voice lost. On the floor, Wondergirl and Supergirl seemed frozen. Kaldur and Artemis appeared from somewhere in the crowd and helped Roy and Wally to their feet.

"Since I became king, I've been looking everywhere for my dear sister. I never knew she had a child," he wiped the tears from her eyes, drinking in her appearance, "But you look so much like her. Tell me, where is your mother?"

M'gann sniffed quietly, finally finding her voice. "She died. Many years ago. My father passed away too."

The king fell silent for a moment, then placed a hand on M'gann's back and ushered her toward him, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry. I should have been there. I should have known." He held her silently for a few moments after that, stroking her hair. Finally he asked, "Where have you been staying?"

"With my stepmother and stepsisters. . . but Uncle J'onn," she blushed, unsure if she was being to forward with the name, but he didn't stop her so she continued, "they're not," she worried her bottom lip, trying to find a nice way of wording what she had to say, "they're not all that kind to me. They're not my family," she gripped his wrist and looked him pleadingly in the eye, "Please Uncle J'onn, let me live with you! I just want to be a part of a family again!"

Wondergirl started getting off the ground. "Why you ungrateful, little-" Artemis kicked her. Supergirl watched, deciding to stay quiet.

"Of course you can stay with me, M'gann. You're my niece," he cupped her cheek and smiled fondly, "I've never been an uncle before though, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit unorthodox."

M'gann giggled happily and placed a hand over his. "It's okay, I've never been a niece either. We'll learn together."

Wally looked over at Artemis, who turned, feeling his eyes on her. She smiled and he smiled back. He looked over his shoulder at Roy and Kaldur. "Come on guys, let's get out of here. We have a quest to complete."

The others nodded silently and they quietly slid out of the entranced crowd, not speaking until they were on the palace steps.

Wally broke the silence first, laughing. "Man Roy, that was _priceless_. You were soooo funny man!"

"Me? How about you, Prince Charming?" Roy laughed, grabbing Wally around the neck and giving him a noogie. Wally struggled, laughing while he complained Roy was going to knock his crown off.

Kaldur watched them fondly before turning to Artemis. "How did things go with you, Artemis? Was M'gann's stepmother easy to distract?"

Artemis groaned. "Painfully. I've never kissed so much ass in my life. What a snotty woman. I wanted to punch her lights out the entire time."

Wally got away from Roy and ran ahead to dodge his grasp. "Yeah, yeah, missy. Don't blame her for your violent tendencies."

Artemis was about to respond with an angry retort when a voice from behind them cut her off, "Guys! Wait! Wait up!"

They stopped and turned around to see M'gann running down the steps toward them. They stood silently until she caught up with them.

"Hey M'gann, what's up? Shouldn't you be with your uncle?" Wally questioned, waiting for her to catch her breath.

"I want to come with you!"

Wally's eyebrows shot up. "What? Why would you want to do that? You finally got what you wanted, M'gann!"

"Yeah, stay here and get to know your uncle. We can't ask you to give that up," Kaldur agreed.

M'gann shook her head. "You're not asking. Friends don't need to ask, remember?" she said with a wink, "Besides, I have years ahead of me to get to know Uncle J'onn. We'll be fine. You helped me find my family Wally. . . I want to help you find yours. I already asked Uncle J'onn, and he thinks it's a good idea as well."

Wally smiled slowly, grabbing her hand and shaking it. "Okay then. In that case, welcome to the team, M'gann! Glad to have you!"

M'gann smiled brightly as their clothes began to shimmer. Their outfits reverted back to their original forms while the extra accessories turned to red glitter and swirled around them in a small twister before blowing away on the wind.

It was midnight.

* * *

><p><strong>And M'gann joins the group! Da-da-daaaah!<br>Not entirely sure how she muscled her way into having two chapters, but there you have it.  
>And once again, robots are allowed to exist in this time period because Wally's mind says so. Wally's mind says robots in girly robes with big pink bows are A-OK too, apparently.<br>Reviews make my day. =) And just so everyone knows, I respond to every review, but if you don't sign in I can't! I become downright angstful when an anonymous of unlogged in reviewer asks a question and I can't answer! lol!  
>So yeah. Just want all my anonymousunlogged/pm-turned-off reviewers to know that I appreciate your comments very very much and I love all of you! Thank you all for being so wonderful to me!**


	6. Beauty and the Beast

***drum roll* Here it is folks. The one. The only. SUPERBOY! Du-du-du-duuuuu!  
>Kudos to everyone who guessed his fairy tale right! (and random shout out to that one person whom I told Superboy was going to be Lilo and the Sphere was going to be Stitch. . . you know I was fooling, haha)<strong>  
><strong>Also, a biiig shout out to Karma Killer 11 for making me some super-special-awesome fanart of M'gann in her Cindy-rella rags! It's absolutely fantastic and you should all go find the link to it on my profile. Right now. You can read the story later. Shoo, shoo!<br>Disclaimer: Fine DC, you can have it! (I'm lying. You guys can help me you know. Bring me to power, and I promise Robin will be forced to wear a dress or miniskirt at least five times in Young Justice. I'll also bring back his short-pants for one episode. Oh, and on the series finale, Wally will ravage him. Then marry him. Then ravage him some more. . .)**

* * *

><p>They were lost. Sort of.<p>

"DOES THIS KINGDOM EVER END!" Wally screamed, kicking a tree. A flock of birds wearing tiny red capes flew out of the tree and the surrounding treetops in terror. Artemis hit him upside the head.

"Whether or not it ends, screaming won't solve anything! So shut it, Prince Spazz-case!"

Wally glowered at her, rubbing his head. "Easy for you to say, we wouldn't be in this situation if _you_ had read the map right!"

"Wally, don't blame Artemis. She did nothing wrong," Kaldur said, stepping into what had become his reoccurring role of referee.

"We're not _lost_, moron. The map says to pass through the Super Kingdom and head north. We're in the Super Kingdom and we're going north, so technically, we're right on course."

"Yeah, you're forgetting the part where we CAN'T GET OUT!" A squirrel wearing a little red cape ran by and he screamed in frustration. "What is up with this place!"

M'gann watched the squirrel run past with a smile. She thought all the little caped critters were cute, personally. "Come on guys, fighting won't help. Let's just keep traveling. We're bound to run into someone eventually, and maybe they can give us directions."

"Or we can just keep traveling north like we have been," Roy suggested, looking up at the sky to gauge the sun's position. "The Super Kingdom is the largest kingdom on Earth, it's going to take a while to travel through it, whether we like it or not."

Wally slumped his shoulders in defeat, but trudged forward nonetheless. "Yeah, I know. It's just, it's already been like, _forever_ since we got here!"

"Wally?"

Wally kicked a stone at his feet. "Yeah, M'gann?"

"Is that smoke?"

He looked up, his face breaking into an ear splitting grin. "Yes! Alright guys! Smoke means fire means people!" He pointed toward the spiraling fumes, "Onward and smokeward!"

The others (Artemis excluded) laughed, glad to see their leader (of sorts) in high spirits again as he raced toward the pillar.

Wally had the endurance of a champion (it came with belonging to the royal family of Flash), so they had to ask him to stop running after a while and they continued on at a slower pace until they found themselves at a small village.

"Come on, let's find a place to eat! My treat!" Wally cried, dashing into the town.

It didn't take them long to find an inn willing to serve them (Wally's wooden credit card was an impressive sign of wealth, after all). The group's colorful and foreign clothing quickly caught the attention of the villagers, who loitered around the inn to watch them. It didn't take the group long to realize that _everyone_ was wearing a red cape. They didn't bother asking.

An elderly man (wearing a frayed, equally elderly cape) finally approached them, watching Wally inhale all the food before him for a few seconds before focusing on the rest of the group.

"Hello there. What brings you young folk to our boring little village?"

M'gann smiled. "Nice to meet you, sir. We're just passing through. We're on a quest, you see."

"There's a tower north of here surrounded by thorns that this guy," Roy pointed his thumb toward Wally, "has business with."

The old man's eyebrow went up. "Thorns, you say? Why, you must mean the enchanted castle!"

Wally stopped eating and turned in his stool to look at the man. "You know where the tower is!"

He nodded. "Yes, yes, I believe so. Just north of this village there's a forest of thorns, at the center of which is an enchanted castle," he lowered his voice and leaned closer to them, "However, there is a beast living in the tower. A horrible, deadly beast."

Kaldur nodded. "I can't say I'm surprised. Deadly obstacles are usually involved in these kinds of exploits, aren't they?"

"Yeah, when I first met Arty I had mistaken her tower for mine, and I actually thought she was a witch guarding-Ow! What? What did you _expect_ me to-Ow! Cut it out!" he snapped. Artemis crossed her arms with a huff and looked pointedly away.

"_Anyway_," he continued, glaring at Artemis before returning his attention to the old man, "as I was saying, I'm prepared to take on this beast. Where is this tower, old man?"

This time M'gann hit him. "He meant 'Where is this tower, _sir_?', sir."

Wally rubbed his head, pouting. Artemis was a bad influence on sweet little M'gann.

"About two miles north. You won't have to travel far before you see the thorns."

"Awesome, thanks old-I mean, thanks sir!" He glanced around at his comrades. "This is it guys!" His voice got quieter, as if he was speaking to himself, and he stared down at his lap. "This is really it. I'll finally see my princess. . ." he looked up again, "You guys. . . are you sure you want to do this? This beast is probably dangerous. You've already been through a lot with me. I'll understand if you want to go home now."

Roy hit him, continuing the new trend. "Don't be stupid, stupid. I'm not going to follow you around this long and not see the conclusion."

"You'd die without us anyway," Artemis added with a smirk.

"I'm seeing this through to the end, no matter what that end may be," Kaldur promised, placing a hand on Wally's shoulder.

M'gann nodded. "Me too Wally. What kind of friends would we be if we abandoned you now, when you needed us most?"

Wally smiled, looking at them all in turn. "Thanks guys, that means a lot. You're all really, really great friends." He stood up. "Come on, I'll rent us some rooms for the night so we can get a decent night's sleep before we head out, alright?"

"Sounds great, thanks Wally!" M'gann chimed.

Wally paid for two rooms, one for the girls and one for the boys, and they all started up the stairs. Passing him, Kaldur hit him on the back of the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Kaldur grinned. "What can I say? I didn't want to be left out." He laughed and Wally couldn't help the smile that graced his lips as he rubbed the back of his head. His friends were such dorks.

* * *

><p>The group woke up bright and early and headed out as soon as they finished breakfast. Well rested and well feed, they made excellent timing and it wasn't long before they found themselves confronted with a thicket of thorns.<p>

"Man that's a lot of thorns," Wally sighed, glancing at his sword hilt. Hopefully old reliable would be able to handle it.

"Quite whining, Prince Flasher. We'll be fine."

Wally nonchalantly stepped on Roy's foot (it would have been awesome if Roy hadn't responded by punching in the back and making him stumble forward). Now mere inches from the closest thorn branch, Wally took a deep breath and unsheathed his sword. "Alright you guys, let's hope this forest isn't as thick as it is tall," he turned to face them all, "Stick together. If anyone gets stuck, give a shout right away, don't try to get yourself free then shout when the rest of us are already way ahead. I'll take the front and try to clear a path, Arty, you'll be right behind with your dagger, to help me out. Roy, you're next, then M'gann and Kaldur. Everyone understand?"

They nodded and Wally turned back around and took his first swing at the thorns, watching as a few branches fell away.

"Keep your eyes open for the beast you guys. He probably won't be in the forest, since thorns kind of hurt, but you never know. Stay sharp."

They silently agreed, following after Wally as he hacked his way through. It took about seven hours to get through with only the two blades (they also had to stop when Artemis' hair got caught in the thorns, they spend a while trying to free her until Wally finally hacked the majority of it off) , and they all collapsed to the ground the moment they reached a clearing.

Sweat pouring from his brow, Wally lifted his head from the soothingly cold dirt below him to scan his surroundings. No beast in sight, but there was a large black castle about half a mile in front of them.

"There it is," he said between breaths, "Let's rest a minute, then we'll keep going, okay?"

The others made noises of agreement, too tired for words.

While in the forest, the group had eaten the food Wally had packed in the burlap sack he kept from when he bought M'gann's gown. It wasn't exactly practical, but they felt safer eating while protected by the thorns than out in the open, and they needed to keep their strength up. After a minute of two of rest, they got to their feet and continued their trek.

They stuck close to one another, keeping watch for the beast until they reached the castle. The moment they reached the drawbridge, which was down, it started to rain, as if on cue.

"Stereotypical thunder and lightening. . ." A flash of lightening lit the area, followed by a loud clap of thunder, "Check." Wally said, glancing around. "Should we go inside?"

"Might as well," Artemis said, shouldering past him and walking across the drawbridge, ringing out her hair as she did (Wally had cut it at her shoulders in the forest, but by the time they got out it was already nearly to her lower back). The others followed.

The inside of the castle was just as doom and gloom as the outside, the only light coming from a few crackling torches on the wall. M'gann crossed her arms over her chest, shivering. "What a dreary place to live. . ."

"Yeah," Wally breathed, glancing around. This castle was nothing like Uncle Barry's. The Flash castle was bright and cheery. It could even be called homey, for a castle.

Something glass shattered to their left and they all spun to face the sound. Standing in one of the dark corridors was a young man with black hair wearing dark blue slacks and a black tailcoat over a red dress shirt. Around his neck was what appeared to be a black metal collar with some sort of red gem embedded in the center. Scattered around his heavy black boots were the glittering remains of what seemed to be a glass of water. He looked kind of angry.

"What are you doing here?" he seethed, clenching his fists.

Okay, definitely angry.

"Umm. . ." Wally began, but was cut off before he could think of an intelligent reply.

"You shouldn't be here!" he bellowed, charging toward them. They all yelled and dodged out of the way, leaving the stranger to punch the wall that was behind them. The stone began to crumble.

Wally held up his sword in a defensive stance. "Hey buddy, calm down. We didn't mean to intrude." Actually they did, but whatever. They didn't know he was there. He should have had a mailbox or something.

"Get out! You don't belong here!" He charged again and the rest of them scattered while Wally stood his ground, swinging his sword. The man stopped and turned aside, trying to dodge, so Wally only grazed his arm. He let out a roar of rage and Wally dove to the side just in time to miss the punch aimed his way.

"Wally, over here!"

Looking up, Wally found Roy and ran toward him. The enraged man chased after him.

"Duck!"

Wally hit the floor at light speed (excellent ducking skills were another Flash family specialty) and four arrows zoomed overhead. He glanced behind him to see the man pinned to the wall by his coat. He growled threateningly and pulled forward, the seams of his coat ripping.

"Chill out, will you!" Artemis screamed, stomping to the head of the group, "What's your problem? We didn't do anything to you!"

"This is MY castle! Get out!"

"Well, maybe if you didn't leave the drawbridge wide open, we wouldn't be in here! Ever stop to think we just wanted to ask for directions! Huh? Stop being such a dick!"

He tried to lunged forward again. A sleeve ripped off.

"Please don't be angry! We didn't mean any harm, I promise!" M'gann cried, coming forward to stand by Artemis. The man stopped struggling.

"I'm. . . angry?"

They all shared a look. "Um. . . yes?" She said uncertainly, glancing at Artemis for support. Artemis shrugged.

The man's head dropped, the fight seeming to leave his body. "I'm sorry. . . I didn't realize."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know you were angry?"

The man sighed. "It's difficult to explain."

Roy crossed his arms. "We have time."

A pained (or was that annoyed?) expression crossed his face. He sighed. "Fine. My name is Superboy, I'm the prince of the Super Kingdom." He reached up and ripped the remaining arrows from his coat, freeing himself. They all put their guard up.

"You are the prince of the largest kingdom in the world!" Kaldur exclaimed, surprise taking over his features. "What are you doing in a place like this?"

Superboy turned his gaze to the floor. "My father, King Clark, banished me here."

"Why would he do that?" M'gann asked, immediately sympathetic, as was her nature.

"My father and I lived comfortably together for a long time. But one night, years ago, a woman who introduced herself as Dinah stopped by the castle in the middle of the night. When I answered the door, she handed me a cage with a black canary in it. It was raining out and I didn't want to stay at the door, so I thanked her and shut the door."

"You didn't invite her in. . .?" Artemis asked, her voice laced with incredulity.

Superboy looked up to regard her, confused. "Should I have?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, "It was raining! People don't just stop by and give away fancy canaries without wanting something in return! Didn't you think it was odd that she was giving you a present!"

Super frowned. "I never thought about it like that. . ."

Artemis grumbled something about men, but otherwise kept silent, mindful enough of triggering his strange temperament.

"What happened next, Superboy?" M'gann prompted.

"She broke down the door. She was really upset. She told me she was an enchantress and she was going to curse me, as punishment for my actions. She cast a spell and this collar," he gestured to the metal band around his neck, "appeared. She said the gem was something called red kryptonite and if I couldn't find a way to get it off during the canary's lifetime, I would die. I had never heard of red kryptonite, but my father had. He seemed upset and watched me carefully for the next few days. The longer I wore the collar, the worse my temper became. The smallest things would make me angry. Father tried to get the collar off, but it wouldn't budge. Eventually he gave up and banished me to this castle. I've been here alone ever since," he hung his head, "I've tried everything to break the spell, but. . ." He sighed. "The canary isn't doing so well either. It's sick, but no matter what I do, it doesn't seem to get better. I'm running out of time. . ."

"You poor thing. I can't believe King Clark would banish his own son," M'gann said. She turned to face the others. "Do you think there's anything we can do to help?"

"You have no idea how to break the spell?" Roy asked, placing a hand to his chin.

Superboy shook his head. "She didn't say. I've done all I could think of. You don't have to bother. It's a hopeless case."

M'gann stepped closer and put a hand on his arm. "Don't say that Superboy, nothing is ever hopeless. Come on, why don't you show us this canary and I can fix your coat?"

Superboy nodded, leading them through the castle. Now that he was calm, they all took the opportunity to observe their surroundings.

"Man, everything's so bleak. How do you stand living here?" Wally asked, staring at the barren stone walls.

Superboy shrugged. "I don't really mind," a pause, "Why are you all here anyway? Are you really lost?"

Wally sighed. "Kind of? We're looking for a tower surrounded by thorns in the Kingdom of Bats, and we thought this castle might have been it. Cause of the thorns and all. The princess there has been cursed with an enchanted slumber and I'm on a quest to save her. My friends are helping me."

Superboy glanced over his shoulder at him quickly, almost shyly. "The Kingdom of Bats? I remember when that happened. I was really young though. The whole kingdom is basically in ruins now. No one goes there anymore."

Wally perked up. "So, you know where it is?"

"The kingdom? Yes. I could show you to the tower too," he frowned, "If I could leave, that is. Traveling with me wouldn't be safe."

They reached a dark room (then again, all the rooms looked like they were dark), the only light coming from a large bay window. Next to the window was a table with an ornate gold cage sitting atop it. Inside was a lone black canary who chirped pitifully upon seeing him. Superboy gave it a small smile and opened the cage door, softly stroking its head. It gave another feeble cheep, but didn't move. They made a sad sight, the two of them.

They stayed for a while, even after M'gann finished mending his coat, to keep him company while they waited out the storm. He freaked out two or three times (Artemis dodged the table when he flipped it over, Kaldur ducked just in time when a candelabra was thrown his way, and Wally got hit in the head when he failed to realize a clock was being chucked at him), but he would always calm down fairly easily once they pointed out to him that he was being unreasonably angry. Once the sun began to set, they announced their departure, hoping to get back to the village before it was too dark. The journey back would be much quicker now that the path through the thorns had been made.

"Wally?"

They all stopped on the drawbridge and looked back at Superboy. "Yeah man?"

"If you want to come back tomorrow. . . I'll try to make a map to the tower tonight. . . if you want."

Wally smiled. "Yeah, thanks Supey, that sounds great. See you tomorrow, okay?"

Superboy nodded hesitantly. "Yeah. See you."

* * *

><p>They were all exhausted from their trying day in the thorn forest, so by the time they got back to the inn they were ready to pass out from exhaustion. They didn't speak to anyone when they came in, trudging straight to their rooms and going to bed. When they finally managed to rouse themselves, it was nearly noon.<p>

After dressing, they headed downstairs to an empty room.

"That's odd," Kaldur remarked, glancing around, "Yesterday it was fairly busy."

"Yeah. Wonder where everyone is?" Wally thought aloud, heading to the door. The others followed and they went outside. The whole town looked deserted. A tumbleweed rolled by.

Artemis' eyebrows went up. "That's weird."

"Well, I'm surprised to see you young travelers still milling about here. I thought you would have gone with the villagers to the castle."

They turned to see the old man from before walking toward them, cane in hand. Wally's brow furrowed.

"The castle? Why would they go there?"

"Hmm? You mean you didn't hear? A young boy went missing yesterday. The whole town searched all day and night, but he was no where to be found. It's obvious he was taken by the beast!"

"The beast? You can't mean Superboy?" M'gann asked, glancing nervously toward the direction of the forest.

"Superboy? The crown prince? Oh no, young lady. King Clark announced his death years and years ago. It was a very sad day for the Super Kingdom, oh yes."

Wally felt his blood boiling. "But Superboy isn't dead! The king knows that!"

"Superboy couldn't have taken that child, sir! We were with him almost the entire day yesterday, he wouldn't have had the opportunity!" M'gann cried.

"Well I don't have a clue what you youngsters are going on about, no, no," he shook his head, "But the rest of the town has gone to exterminate the beast. They could probably use your help!"

"Come on," Wally shouted, running toward the forest, the others close behind.

They arrived at the castle quickly to find it surrounded by a mob of caped villagers.

"Where's Superboy!" M'gann asked, just as a man's body went sailing through the air past them. They all turned in the direction he came from and saw Superboy fending off a horde of people. A man jumped on his back and Superboy issued forth a roar of rage, throwing the man off and sending him flying into another. While his back was turned, a man ran toward him from behind, a knife in hand. Wally dashed forward and tacked the man, wrestling the knife from his hands.

"Superboy!"

Superboy glanced at them, eyes ablaze. "I didn't do anything!" he screamed, turning to punch out another attacker. "Go away!"

Artemis kicked a man in the chest, sending him reeling, "We know! We're on your side!"

"Everyone, please stop fighting!" M'gann yelled, trying desperately to gain the attention of the angry mob. "Superboy was with us! He didn't do anything wrong!"

Nobody was listening to her. A group of villagers appeared from within the castle and came out onto the drawbridge.

"The boy's not inside! This is all we found!" The leader of the group held up the gold cage, the weary black canary flittering around inside in a nervous panic.

"Let her go! Don't touch her! You're scaring her, stop it! Stop it!" Superboy screamed, barreling down everyone in his path as he charged toward the drawbridge. The man standing next to the one with the canary lifted his gun and took aim.

"Stay back, beast!"

Superboy wasn't listening. A large man came from behind him and hit him with a shovel, sending him crashing to the ground several feet from the gunman.

"Superboy! Please, leave him alone!" M'gann was at his side in a matter of seconds, throwing her body over his while tears streamed down her face. "He didn't do anything! Please, stop this!"

The man sneered. "You helped him, didn't you? We never had any problems until you all showed up! It's your fault my son is missing!" He trained the gun on them and placed his finger on the trigger. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, an arrow shot through the air, knocking the gun from his hands.

"Does it make you feel strong, pointing a gun at a girl and an innocent man?" Roy asked, threading his bow with another arrow. The man glared and opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off when Wally punched him in the face, sending him to the ground.

"You should pay more attention in a fight," he said, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at the man's neck. The crowd, once focused on Superboy, halted.

"Superboy didn't do anything wrong! I want all of you to go home, right now! The missing child is probably lost in the woods, and none of you are helping him by running around here like a bunch of lunatics." No one moved, so Wally bellowed, "Do you realize who we are! These two are princesses! I am the Prince of Flash! Unless you want to explain to your king why the second largest kingdom in the world, as well as the Martian and Arrow Kingdoms, have declared _war_, I highly suggest you leave!"

The crowd seemed hesitant but ever so slowly they began to retreat. Once they were all gone, Wally lifted his sword and lightly kicked the cowering man on the ground. "Get out of here and find your son."

The man complied, but not before shooting a nasty glare Superboy's way. Once they were gone Wally sheathed his sword with a large sigh.

"You were bluffing?" Artemis asked dryly.

"Like I've never bluffed before. Man am I glad they didn't call me on it. Uncle Barry would never declare war on the Super Kingdom!" Artemis shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Superboy, are you okay?"

They all turned their attention to the two on the ground.

Superboy had several cuts on his body and his shirt was pretty torn up. His coat was missing. "Why did you do that?"

M'gann sniffled, rubbing at her eyes. "Do what?"

"Throw yourself over me. You could have been shot! That was stupid of you!"

M'gann smiled lightly, ignoring his outburst. "Because you're my friend Superboy. That's what friends do."

Superboy was quiet for a long time. Finally he spoke, much quieter than usual. "We're. . . friends?"

M'gann nodded and leaned forward, rubbing the dripping blood from a cut on his cheek. "Of course. You're a good person, Superboy."

Superboy leaned forward, pushing himself up with his elbows, and a dull thud sounded. They all gaped.

"Superboy, your. . . your collar!" M'gann exclaimed, climbing off him and reaching for the broken metal ring lying in his shadow. Superboy sat up all the way and took it from her, examining it closely.

"I don't understand. . ."

"I think. . . I think I might," M'gann said with a gentle smile. Superboy hesitantly smiled back.

"Perhaps the enchantress Dinah was not so evil after all," Kaldur observed, coming forward to help M'gann up. Roy followed him, lending Superboy a hand.

Once standing, Superboy scanned the area. "Where's the canary?"

A flood of guilt washing over him, Wally looked to his left where the battered cage lay discarded on the ground. Gingerly, he picked it up.

"I'm sorry, Superboy. I didn't notice. It must have gotten thrown, in all the chaos. . ." Eyes downcast, Wally handed the cage to Superboy, who accepted it as if it were the most fragile thing on Earth.

Opening the cage door and scooping the small creature out, he cradled the tiny body to his chest. The canary let out a pitiful chirp and nipped lightly at his finger before going still. "She's dead. She was my only friend, for so many years. . ."

M'gann put a hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry Superboy."

"We didn't mean for this to happen. Our condolences," Kaldur said, bowing his head respectfully.

"Can we bury her?" he asked, as if he needed their permission.

With a sad smile, Roy clapped him on the shoulder. "Sure thing, buddy. Whatever you want."

They buried the canary in the back of the castle. With no other distinguishable markers nearby, Roy plunged one of his arrows into the Earth where the body lay.

"It's not the best grave," he said as way of apology. Superboy shook his head.

"No, it's fine. I'm sure she appreciates it."

"What will you do now, Superboy?" M'gann asked. Superboy looked away from the grave to look at her, then the rest of the group.

"If you don't mind, I think I want to go with you. My map making skills aren't that great. It would be easier if I showed you where the enchanted tower in the Kingdom of Bats is myself."

"What! Dude, that would be awesome, but. . . don't you want to go home? See your," He paused, unable to bring himself to say "father." That man was no father. "See King Clark?"

Superboy shook his head. "Not yet. I will eventually, but right now. . . I'm not sure if I'm ready to see him."

Offering him a lazy grin, Wally threw an arm around his shoulders. "Alrighty then, sounds good to me. Welcome to the team, Superboy."

* * *

><p><strong>Hell hath no fury like a Black Canary scorned. (He doesn't mean to be rube Dinah, it just happens. . .)<br>So now Prince Wally has his whole team, which can mean only one thing! Time to go get that princess!  
>Next chapter is the last. Thanks for sticking with me so far guys. Unless everyone hates this chapter (and refuses to share their hate with me), I do believe Sleeping Beauty will reach 100 reviews. =) I never anticipated my story getting this much love (especially considering it's a DickWally story in which Dick hardly ever appears, haha), so thank you all so much! Your support really means the world to me.**


	7. Happily Ever After

***cue drumroll* Alright guys, this is it. I'm like, trembling in my wee-little-boots right now. The review response for chapter six was absolutely amazing, and so many of you have told me of your uber high expectations for this chapter. I hope I don't disappoint. I spent forever on this, adding scenes, deleting scenes, editing and proofing. Hopefully my work payed off. =)  
>Disclaimer: Alas, Young Justice does not belong to me. (Do you hear that DC? I'm so nervous right now, I can't even plot and scheme against you properly. Consider this battle yours but just know, this war isn't over. . .)<br>So without further ado, I give you the final chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Wally was bleeding. A lot.<p>

"Arrgghh, I hate thorns!" he screamed, hacking at a branch that had nicked his shoulder, drawing blood. He was still covered in scratches from his trip through Superboy's thorn forest, and here was, in the same situation!

After leaving the castle, Superboy had led them out of the Super Kingdom (Roy had been right, they would have gotten out if they had just continued north patiently. . .) and into the neighboring Kingdom of Bats. The first town they entered was deserted, the empty houses all in various states of disrepair. Windows were broken, as were shop signs. Many houses had holes in the roofs and nearly every structure made of wood was dry-rotted through. The second village they entered was in the same state of abandonment, as was the third. It was just ghost town after ghost town after ghost town.

"The people of Bats were afraid after the princess was cursed. The magician who did it was never caught and everyone feared where he may strike next," Superboy explained from behind him, having been questioned by Kaldur about the kingdom's deserted state, "A lot of people left soon after it happened. Most of them came to our kingdom, since it was nearby and had room enough for them. The king was a wreck over it all too. I remember my father would leave often to visit him. They were close friends, once. But he refused to leave the castle. His kingdom slowly fell to ruins around him and he just let it happen."

"It must be difficult, seeing your own child in such a state and being helpless to do anything," M'gann said, ducking under a branch.

"I agree. It is unfortunate that his people had to suffer, but his situation is still sympathetic," Kaldur said, following behind her, "How long ago did this happen, Superboy?"

Superboy frowned. "I was small when it happened. I remember my cousin was living with us at the time, so I was probably around six. So about ten years ago."

Wally came to a standstill and Artemis ran into his back.

"Watch it, Prince Neanderthal! I could have stabbed you!"

Wally ignored her, turning around to see Superboy. "Ten years! How old is this princess?"

Superboy shrugged. "I don't know. I think Father may have said it was an ageless sleep though. I don't really remember."

"So, you lived with your cousin when you were younger, Superboy?" M'gann asked. Superboy nodded.

"Yeah. She's actually my second cousin. After her parents died, Father took her in for a short time, but eventually he decided he couldn't handle two children. He put her up for adoption. I've never seen her since."

"Oh, that's awful! I wonder what became of her?"

Tuning them out, Wally turned back around and hacked at a branch, feeling only slightly better. Ageless sleep was good. He was only fifteen; he didn't want to climb the tower and find some super old lady up there. What if she was like, 25 or something? That was like, halfway to death! (Was the King of Bats leeching her while she slept? She may have been as bad off as Uncle Barry, after all this time. . .)

The forest of thorns around the tower wasn't as thick as the one around Superboy's castle (which was kind of sad, because that meant King Clark _really _wanted to keep his son hidden away), so it only took them a few hours to get through. Hacking the last few branches, Wally walked into the clearing.

An enormous castle lay before him, with a single tower taller than all the rest.

"Taller than Uncle Barry's," he thought aloud, gazing at the structure. She was in there, mere minutes away. . .

"What?" Artemis asked, giving him an odd look. He shook his head.

"Nothing. Come on, let's go." Taking a deep breath, he took a single step toward the castle. Then the ground began to shake.

It was subtle. Just enough for them to feel, but not violent enough to make them lose their footing or even wobble slightly. Wally glanced down and watched for a few seconds as a pebble vibrated across the ground, then lifted his head and glanced around. He could hear something. It was almost like. . . a growl.

Keeping his sword ready, Wally tried to locate the source of the sound. "Something's coming. Get ready guys."

"Wally, over there," Kaldur said, pointing toward a spot in the thorn forest opposite from where they had emerged. It was far away, being on the other side of the tower, but Wally could just make out two yellow lights beaming at them through the dark. They were like two sickly, glowing eyes.

"What _is_ that?" Artemis asked, raising her dagger higher.

"Looks like a monster to me," Roy said from beside her, aiming his bow at the. . . whatever-it-was.

M'gann shifted uncomfortably, sticking close to Superboy. "Maybe if we're quiet, it won't-"

She was cut off when a roar and a squealing noise simultaneously erupted from the whatever-it-was and it lurched toward them at a speed Wally had never seen before. They stood their ground while it sped across the clearing, and Wally quickly observed the monstrosity.

It was black. Kind of shiny. It was long and the back was sort of taller than the front, like an incline. Or decline. Whatever. There were large black panels on the taller part that almost looked like. . . glass? Furrowing his eyebrows, Wally looked at the bottom. Whatever-it-was was on wheels, but they weren't like any wheels he'd seen before. They were black (surprise, surprise) and were made out of something. . . odd. Not wood, in any case.

"Guys, it's not stopping," M'gann whispered as the whatever-it-was came even closer. Roy shot an arrow at it and it boinged off without a scratch.

"Split up?" Artemis suggested.

"Split up," Wally confirmed. They didn't waste a second as they lunged in different directions, just missing the whatever-it-was as it sped over the very spot they'd been standing. Wally hit the ground but quickly scrambled to his feet, sword ready. From where he was, he could see the back on the whatever-it-was as it kept on going, barreling toward the forest. There was some sort of yellow square on the back, engraved with black lettering. He squinted.

"Batmobile?" he read, cocking his head. Was that its name?

The "Batmobile" crashed into the forest, leaving a thornless trail in its wake. The sound of it's growling slowly faded as it disappeared from sight. The team regrouped.

"What _was _that thing?" Artemis asked, watching the forest tensely.

"The thing on the back said 'Batmobile,' I think it's some sort of vehicle," Wally said, "But there aren't any horses."

"I saw in the windows," Superboy said, "There was no one inside."

"So it's some sort of carriage that is mobile. . . by itself?" Kaldur said, also eyeing the forest. The growl was soft, but still there.

Wally frowned. "So, an automatic mobile device? An automobile?"

Artemis snorted. "Don't be stupid, Wally. It's just a fancy carriage."

Wally opened his mouth to retort but was cut off when a screech sounded from the forest. The growling started getting louder, and it was getting louder very quickly.

"It's coming back," Superboy said, bracing himself.

Mere seconds later the yellow lights reemerged, the shadowy form of the Batmobile appearing moments after.

"When an animal hunts, it goes after the weakest of the pack," Roy said, "It then tries to isolate its prey from the others, to make the kill easier." He glanced at Wally, smirking. "Feeling weak, Prince Flasher?"

"What?"

The question was barely out of his mouth before Roy pushed him to the ground. "Act hurt. Everyone else, follow me!" he yelled, dashing off to the left. Artemis followed without question while the others hung back, hesitant.

"But Wally. . ." M'gann began, glancing between him and Roy.

"He'll be fine, trust me!" Roy yelled, not stopping.

"It's fine guys, go on. Roy obviously has some sort of plan. I'll just stay here and. . . act hurt," Wally said, a little bitterly. He was the leader of the team (more or less), so why did _he_ have to act injured?

Superboy nodded and, taking M'gann's hand, pulled the still indecisive girl along until they were with Roy. Kaldur followed unhappily behind.

Wally frowned. To be honest, he didn't get _really_ hurt all that often. Sure he got minor injuries (the thousands of thorn scratches littering his body were proof of that), but even then, he didn't really complain much. Would the Batmobile care if he just sat there quietly?

Looking up, he saw the Batmobile racing toward him. If it wanted the others, it would probably start turning right about now, just like. . . just like it was doing.

"Shit," Wally whispered. He grabbed hold of his leg and let out a wail that would have made Uncle Barry proud (Wally didn't complain, but the great King Barry was the world's biggest crybaby).

"Owww! Oh my GOD! The AGONY! I think I'm _dying_!" It was getting closer. "Oh _why_ did my friends abandon me! I think my leg is falling off! Oh why cruel world! Why, _why_, _WHYYYYYY_!"

"Oh my god, shut _up_ Wally! It doesn't have ears!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT! OH GOD! Just kill me to end the PAIN! If only I wasn't so ALONE and HELPLESS!"

Ears or no ears, the Batmobile veered back to its original path and made a beeline for him. Roy pointed an arrow at it and stood silent, waiting as it drew closer.

Just as the Batmobile sped past the group, Roy released the arrow and hit the front wheel. Quick as lightening, he threaded a second arrow and shot the back. The Batmobile wobbled off course slightly, but kept on toward Wally. Wally glanced at Roy. This didn't seem like part of the plan. . .

"Dammit, don't just sit there Flasher, run!"

Okay, definitely not part of the plan. Wally stood up hastily and immediately fell back down on his face.

"Ow! Guys! Guys, my leg!" His entire leg was riddled with pain; he couldn't even move it. He lifted his face from the dirt to see the Batmobile coming straight at him. What a perfect freaking time for a Charlie-horse. He groped around for his sword and, finding it a few feet to his left, gripped the hilt tightly. Somewhere, M'gann was screaming his name.

He braced himself as the Batmobile closed in on him, ignoring the pain shooting up his leg (funny, how he was so quiet when he was actually in pain; Artemis was probably making a snarky comment about it right now). He watched the wheels, splintered arrows still lodged in them, as the "fancy carriage" wobbled right, then left, straight a second, then right. If he timed it right, he could make this work. If he didn't, well. . .

Wally rolled to the left onto his stomach just as the Batmobile was about to crush his skull in. Seeing the mechanical underbelly of the beast (what was this thing _made_ of!) as it soared over him, Wally did the first thing he could think of. He lifted his sword and plunged it into the Batmobile.

The blade snapped in half as a shower of hot sparks rained down on him. He yelled in surprise but managed to keep still the half a second it took for the Batmobile to pass over him. Once the sky was made visible to him he sat up and beat at his clothes, swiftly extinguishing any flames. In an instant the others were at his side.

"Wally, are you okay!" M'gann asked, kneeling by his side. Wally nodded silently, watching the Batmobile as it skidded across the clearing. It made a quarter turn then came to a complete stop, smoke billowing out of it. The others followed his gaze and watched the vehicle apprehensively.

"Is it. . . dead?" Superboy asked.

Roy put his bow on his back then helped Wally up. "I don't know about dead, but I'd say it's broken, at least for now."

Wally brushed himself off quickly, sheathing what little was left of his sword. "We should head to the castle before it decides to. . . I don't know. Repair itself or something."

The others silently agreed and Wally led them to the massive structure.

Used to running up the tallest tower in the Flash castle with his uncle, Wally wasn't terribly fazed by the never-ending spiraling staircase that met them when they entered the tower. The others, however, weren't as prepared. They started the trek up.

"Wally, can we," M'gann paused to take a breath, "can we take a break?" Judging by how large the tower looked on the outside, Wally guessed they were only about a quarter of the way up. He shifted uneasily, glancing back at everyone. They looked tired.

"She's not going anywhere Prince Flasher. She's waited this long, she can wait for us to catch our breath," Roy pointed out, not as winded as M'gann but still fairly tired. With a sigh, Wally nodded and they all almost immediately sat down on the steps, breathing deeply. Less enthusiastically, Wally sat down with them.

They continued on after a few minutes and ended up having to rest two more times (Artemis' hair grew so long everyone could eventually rest on it. . . Wally refused) before they reached the top, where a large wooden door awaited them. Wally glanced back at his exhausted friends.

"There might be a witch guarding her or something," Wally warned. Artemis rolled her eyes.

"If there is, she's lazy as hell. We climbed all the way up her and she could have just flown down and destroyed us on the first floor."

"She was already protected by a dragon. A witch would be overkill, wouldn't it?"

"It wasn't a dragon, Superboy. It was a _fancy carriage_," Artemis stated, crossing her arms.

Wally smiled fondly at them before turning back around and, taking a steadying breath, opening the door.

The room was decently sized. Slightly larger than Artemis' old tower room. There was one window, the light from which was falling on a golden sheeted bed in the middle of the room. Lying atop the covers was the princess.

She had pale skin (perfect, beautiful, flawless skin. . .), short black hair (_really_ short, but that was okay, Wally liked short hair. . .), and was wearing a sleeveless gown, the top of which was red, while the rest was black. The red stopped in an odd place, a little less than halfway down her chest, giving the gown an odd appearance. Almost as if paint had been spilt on the top.

She was very slim (her shoulders were kind of. . . broad; not as broad as his, but still. . .) and petite (totally flat-chested, but that was fine. . .). Her jawline was really. . . strong and her neck sort of, kind of, almost looked like it had an Adam's apple. . .

She was a boy.

Wally stood stock-still, feeling as if someone had just punched him in the stomach. His princess was a boy. How could that be? How could that _possibly_ be! The newspaper article _said_. . .

"There's no way," he whispered faintly. He took a shaky step forward then stopped, as if afraid getting any closer would make the situation (impossible, unreal, it just _could not_ be, princesses were _girls_) more real.

"I thought we were looking for a girl?" Roy asked, crossing his arms. The others stayed silent.

"You were. It's supposed to be a princess lying there," a deep voice said from behind them. They all turned around to see a man dressed from head to toe in all black: black armor with a silver crest in the shape of a bat splayed across the chest, black gloves, a long black cape, a black crown. Over his eyes was a black mask and under his crown was a silver chainmail hood, covering his head and neck.

"Who are you?" Wally asked, eyeing the stranger warily. The man walked passed his friends and over to the bed, brushing the young boy's bangs out of his eyes.

"I am Batman, the King of Bats. And this is Prince Robin, my son."

"But, I thought your daughter was the one who was cursed," M'gann said, stepping forward. Batman didn't move.

"She was supposed to be. When the princess, Batgirl, was born, I held a celebration. The entire kingdom was invited, except for one man: a murderous madman who goes by the name 'The Joker'."

Superboy nodded. "My father told me about that. He was angry that he wasn't invited, right? And vowed revenge on the princess?"

Batman glanced over his shoulder at him. "You're Clark's boy."

Superboy nodded and Batman returned his gaze to Robin. "You've grown."

Superboy didn't respond and an uncomfortable silence fell over them. After a moment, Batman resumed his story. "The Joker arrived at the party and swore he was going to kill Batgirl on her 16th birthday. No one heard of him for years after that, as if he had fallen off the face of the Earth. I, and many in my kingdom, had hoped he was dead. But then Batgirl turned 16."

"What happened?" Kaldur asked.

"The Joker wasn't aware that I had a son. A lot of people weren't. After what happened with Batgirl, I decided not to announce his birth, to better protect him. We held a party for Batgirl at her request, here at the castle. My men and I were certain if the Joker were to appear, we could capture him. But honestly, I didn't believe he would. I was foolish, believing him to really be dead. I should have known better. The Joker never dies. . .

"Robin understood the danger of the situation much better than I. He offered to trade places with his sister, as a precaution. I thought he was being foolish, but I saw no reason to object. Batgirl called him silly but also went along with the scheme, thinking it would be fun. The night of the party he put on a red gown, specially made for Batgirl, and a wig, and Batgirl pinned up her hair and dressed herself as a boy. Their facial characteristics are similar enough that it was a convincing scheme. Throughout the party though, Robin seemed tired. Sluggish, almost. I should have realized what was happening, but I thought he was acting. He's a very energetic boy, much more so than his sister, so I told myself he was acting calm to appear more like her. The signs were so obvious, but I didn't even notice anything was wrong until he collapsed."

"He just collapsed? He wasn't like, attacked or anything?" Artemis asked, brows furrowed.

"It was the gown. As soon as he collapsed, the Joker's voice echoed through the castle. He told me I had been foolish, being so trusting with my staff. Apparently he was able to bribe one of my seamstresses into making the gown meant for Batgirl out of an enchanted fabric. He said Batgirl was in an ageless sleep and when all the blood had left the gown, my daughter would die, and I would have to watch, helpless, while it happened."

"So that's. . . blood?" M'gann asked, staring at the small portion of red left on the gown. Batman nodded.

"What if you just take it off? The gown, I mean," Artemis suggested, eyes on Robin's sleeping figure.

"He'll die, if what the Joker says is correct. There's a chance it's not true, but it's not a risk I'm willing to take. At least not yet, while there's still time."

"So, you never found the Joker then?" Roy asked.

"No. I sent my men all over the country searching for him, but he was never found. I'm sure he's still out there, somewhere."

"And what happened to the real Batgirl?" Kaldur inquired.

"Batgirl was tormented with guilt. She left the kingdom, in search of a medicinal cure to her brother's state, but it was for naught. Nothing can save Robin now save for one thing. . ."

"True love's kiss," Wally whispered, watching Robin with an unreadable expression. Batman glanced back at him and nodded.

"Yes. In the Kingdom of Bats, every person is given true-love's-kiss insurance upon birth, in case an otherwise fatal accident were to befall them. It's my son's only hope."

"True-love's-kiss insurance? How does _that_ work out?" Artemis muttered. Her question went unheeded.

"King Batman, I do not understand," Kaldur said, stepping forward, "If you are hoping for your son's true love to arrive, why did you place a guard around the castle?"

Batman finally turned around to face them fully. "Guard?"

"The Batmobile," M'gann clarified. Batman frowned.

"It attacked you? I must have left the keys in the ignition by mistake. My apologies."

Artemis clenched her fist. "Look here pal, thanks to your stupid carriage Wally almost-" Roy placed a hand on her shoulder and firmly pulled her back, fixing her with a stern look. She huffed angrily, but kept quiet.

"What's an ignition?" Superboy questioned thoughtfully.

Batman ignored him (Superboy seemed miffed, but didn't press the issue) and shifted his focus to Wally. "I presume you came here to save a princess?"

Hesitantly, Wally nodded.

"You must be very disappointed. I'm sorry you came all this way for nothing. I never meant to cause anyone any trouble." That said, the King of Bats strode past them and out of the room, cape billowing behind him. The others watched Wally, uneasy.

Surprisingly enough, it was Artemis who tried to comfort him first. "Look Wally. . ." she came forward and put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry things didn't work out, but there are lots of princesses out there! You'll find the one for you soon!"

"Yeah Wally, just think of this as. . . a practice run! Yeah! For your real quest!" Roy said, jogging in front of him and smiling reassuringly.

M'gann appeared at his side and placed a hand on his other shoulder. "They're right Wally. You're a wonderful person, and you've already proven so much."

Kaldur came forward to stand by Roy. "She's right. Any princess would be lucky to have you. You'll find the one you're destined for, Wally. You shouldn't worry."

"Wally." Wally half turned to regard Superboy, who was still close to the entrance. "When you head out on your next quest, I'd like to come with you. You're a. . . good friend. I think you should be happy, and I'll do what I can to see that happen."

"He's right!" M'gann shouted, beaming at Wally, "I'll accompany you as well Wally!"

Kaldur nodded. "I will as well."

"Yeah, me too man," Roy said.

Smirking, Artemis lightly punched his shoulder. "Me too. Besides, you'd just die if I wasn't around to save your butt anyway. I can't very well let you go off without me, knowing that. I'm not really big on the whole guilty conscious thing."

Wally looked at them all in turn, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks guys. Really. That means a lot. I don't think I could ever ask for better friends."

They all smiled warmly back. "Come on firecrotch, let's go home," Artemis said.

They all headed toward the door, pausing only when they realized Wally wasn't following. Artemis turned around. "You coming?"

Wally stood still, watching Prince Robin contemplatively. Silently he walked forward until he was next to the bed, gazing down at the boy's face.

"Wally?" M'gann questioned curiously.

"I feel stupid, coming all this way for nothing."

An awkward silence fell over them. Artemis cleared her throat before speaking up. "Look, Wally. . ."

"You know," he interrupted, talking as if to himself, "he is kind of pretty. For a boy, I mean."

They all exchanged silent glances.

"And really, having two kings wouldn't be _that_ bad. It'd make a good statement about the Kingdom of Flash. Equality and stuff. It might help make my people a little more open-minded. That would be a good thing. It could be revolutionary."

"Hey, Prince Flasher, what are you-" Artemis cut Roy off, placing a hand over his mouth and holding a finger to her lips.

Wally continued as if he hadn't heard him. "It wouldn't hurt just to try, right? I mean, it really would be stupid. Coming all this way, then not trying."

None of them answered, frozen in place. Wally slowly leaned forward until he was a mere inch from the prince's face.

"I just. . . for some reason, I really just. . . want to see his eyes," he whispered, right before shutting his eyes and closing the distance between them in a soft kiss.

Then, the world turned white.

Wally's winced when he opened his eyes, the brightness of the all white room momentarily blinding him.

He blinked a few times then sat up, the sheets covering his body pooling in his lap. He fingered it gently, a small frown marring his features. Weird how he felt the sheets should have been gold. . .

Breaking his attention away from the sheets, he noticed a white bandage, stained red in certain areas, encircling his arm. Gingerly he picked at the edge until it came loose and he could unravel it. His arm was perfect, not a wound in sight. Looking down, he saw the bandages around his bare chest and gave them the same treatment. Same result. Chest was A-OK. He groped at his back. Everything seemed good back there too. Yay accelerated healing.

"The building exploded," he mumbled to himself, running a hand through his hair. He recognized the room he was in as the infirmary at Mt. Justice, so the mission couldn't have ended too disastrously. He was alive, after all. And his team must have made it out okay too, for him to be brought to the mountain.

He noticed something dark in his peripheral vision and glanced to his left. Robin was lying on the bed beside him, unconscious. There was a bandage around his head and Wally imagined around his chest as well, since his shirt was off. The white sheet lying atop him stopped just below his shoulders. Wally tilted his head. With the blanket like that, it sort of, almost, kind of looked like he was wearing a sleeveless top. Why was that so familiar?

Wally's eyebrows dipped in thought for a minute as he observed Robin's sleeping form. Quietly, he got out of his bed and crossed to Robin's, sitting carefully on the edge.

"I never got to see. . ." he whispered, running a finger along the edge of Robin's mask. He stared at the face of his best friend for a few moments before gingerly pulling at the mask's edge, carefully prying it off. Robin didn't stir.

Wally leaned closer until he was a hair's width away, studying the face before him, before leaning in to close the gap in a gentle, chaste kiss.

He sat back up and watched as Robin's eyes clenched tighter shut before wearily blinking open. He groaned, wincing slightly at the bright lights.

"KF?" he asked, his voice slightly course with sleep.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty."

Robin sat up a little, the sheets falling away to reveal the bandages Wally had guessed were there. An odd look crossed the younger boy's face as he placed a hand to his lips.

"Did you just. . .?"

If he had plans to finish the question, Wally didn't allow them to come to fruition. "You have really beautiful eyes, you know."

Said beautiful eyes widened to astronomical proportions before disappearing behind Robin's arm as he frantically tried to shield himself.

"Where's my mask! Wally, did you take it off! Bats is going to murder you! I can't believe you!" His free hand was blindly groping around, searching out his missing mask, or even his glasses.

Wally smirked and grabbed Robin's hand tightly in his own, halting its search. "Come on Rob, I had to see them eventually anyway. It's nothing to get excited over."

Robin frowned (pouted, but bff code called for Wally to keep that a secret). "Oh? And why would you ever _have_ to see them?"

Wally snorted. "Well if you think I'm going to marry you without ever seeing your face you're totally wrong dude. Which reminds me, you might as well tell me your name too. I think they put that on the marriage certificate."

Robin froze and Wally took the opportunity to gently pry his arm away from his eyes. Robin stared.

"Since _when_ are you and _I_ getting _married_?"

Wally frowned contemplatively, actually thinking about the question. "I don't know. I think I may have just had a dream about it. . . I just kinda woke up feeling like we were engaged. . . and I have this really clear memory of you in a dress. . ." he smirked, "you looked _really_ hot."

Robin's face turned a million shades of red as he began sputtering incoherently. Finally, he settled on punching Wally in the shoulder to communicate how he felt. Wally grinned.

"Does that mean yes?"

Robin frowned, his cheeks still burning as he stared Wally down. "I think you should probably ask me on a date or two. . . or two hundred, before you ask me to marry you."

Wally's grin widened, the silent plea for a date written all over his features. Robin sighed.

"Fine, fine. . . but you're paying." He paused and Wally watched as the red staining his cheeks faded to a pink. Damn he had pretty skin . "Did you kiss me right before I woke up?"

Wally smiled. "Sleeping Beauty could only be awoken by true love's kiss."

"Since when did I become a princess?" Robin asked, chuckling lightly and raising an eyebrow in amusement.

Wally smiled fondly and leaned closer. "Since I dreamed I was your prince," he said, his voice a mere ghost of a whisper.

Then, he kissed him.

* * *

><p><strong>And they lived happily ever after.<br>So there we have it. The end. Finito.  
>A lot of people have been asking about Robin's quirks in the first chapter. I honestly never planned to revisit those quirks, since Robin is supposed to be a mystery, but since so many of you have questioned, I've decided to write a companion piece to this. It'll probably just be a oneshot or something, but keep an eye out for it. =)<br>Big thanks to all my readers. You guys have given me a lot of support and love, and it's meant the world to me. I'm really going to miss updating this story.  
>So long for now.<br>**


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